Shockwave Therapy and What It's About

If you have been suffering from acute or chronic pain, chances are, you have already heard of or read about shockwave therapy. If you haven’t, then this post is for you.

Shockwave therapy is a multidisciplinary approach that is used in various fields like sports medicine, orthopaedics, urology, physiotherapy, and veterinary medicine, among others. It’s best known for its ability to deliver speedy pain relief and restoration of mobility.

Shockwave therapy is an ideal method because of the fact that it’s non-surgical and there’s no need for painkillers but still speeds up recovery from acute or chronic pain.

Shockwave therapy makes use of acoustic waves with high energy peak that interacts with tissue. This is what causes accelerated tissue repair, analgesia, cell growth, and mobility restoration.

Patients who are suffering from chronic pains, and who have been through other types of treatments that have been unsuccessful, report that shockwave therapy has worked well with them.

Will it hurt? There could be a little feeling of discomfort while the treatment is being performed. The level of pain that the patient is experiencing in the area would also be a factor on how intense the discomfort is. The good thing is, the treatment lasts for just around five minutes does not take long so patients are  able to tolerate whatever discomfort there is. Also, the intensity of the treatment may be adjusted during the session.

The number of treatments that you need depends on the indication and how your tissue would respond to it. Shockwave therapy has a cumulative effect, so you may need around three to five treatments. These treatment sessions are often performed three to ten days apart, again, depending on patient’s tolerance and tissue response.  You will probably experience immediate relief right after the first session. You also might experience soreness in the treated area within two to four hours after your treatment but it’s tolerable and won’t be very limiting. We recommend, however, that patients refrain from doing intense physical activities especially if it’s going to involve the part where you got the treatment for at least two days.

If you want to find out more about this treatment, or if you’re tired of having to deal with chronic pain, you can visit us at Bayview Medical Center and have a talk with Sheldon H. Nadal, DPM.