SHOCKWAVE THERAPY

Many people, over the course of their lives, will struggle with an injury that prevents them

from achieving or performing at their optimal function. Certain injuries can have a long

recovery time, such as tendinopathies, calcifications or muscle tears, and this can be

frustrating for some, especially when you are training for an event or have a goal to reach.

As Physiotherapists, we are always looking for the most up-date techniques that can be used

to restore function in our patients and get them back to their activities of daily living as quickly

as possible. A promising treatment that is gaining popularity, and showing great results, is

Extracorpeal Shockwave Therapy.

Extracorpeal Shockwave Therapy, also known as Shockwave Therapy, is a non-invasive

treatment technique that is used to decrease pain, increase healing and mobility and it leads

to a faster recovery time post injury. A shockwave device creates high amplitude mechanical

pressure pulses that are similar to sound waves. These waves enter the body and they create

a direct mechanical force onto the tissue. This mechanical force creates a micro inflammatory

response which stimulates the body’s natural healing ability.

Research has shown that this inflammatory response promotes neovascularization of the

tendon bone junction, it stimulates proliferation of tenocytes, it increases leukocyte

infiltration and it amplifies growth factor and protein synthesis. This is a fancy way of saying

that these mechanical waves increase tissue regeneration and repair, they stimulate the

formation of new blood cells, they break down scar tissue, improve blood circulation, provide

pain relief and they break down calcifications.

There are certain injuries that respond well to shockwave treatment, especially, but not

limited to, tendon and muscular injuries.

These are:

Tendinopathies such as tennis elbow, golfers elbow, Achilles tendinopathy and others

Frozen shoulder

Plantar Fasciitis

Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder and other tendon calcifications

Shoulder pain

Trigger Points

Muscle spasms

Muscle strains and tears

Jumpers knee

Heel spur

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (Shin splints)

Hip pain

….and many others

Although shockwave therapy can be mildly uncomfortable during the treatment, most

patients tolerate it well. There are minimal side effects to shockwave, with some people

reporting slight bruising/redness or mild inflammation. The duration of a session is roughly

10 – 20 minutes long, and although it varies according the type of injury, usually most people

require between 4-6 sessions to treat an injury.

We offer Shockwave Therapy at our practice so please do reach out if you feel you may benefit

from the treatment.