What is Shockwave Therapy

Why you should look into Shockwave Therapy as a solution to chronic pain…. 

Shockwave therapy is a multidisciplinary device used in orthopedics, physiotherapy, sports medicine, urology and veterinary medicine.   At Massage for Health we utilize this therapy to help our clients alleviate pain and restore their mobility.   Being a non-surgical alternative makes it an ideal therapy to speed up recovery and cure various indications causing acute or chronic pain.   

Shockwave Therapy is effective on a variety of ailments, most commonly:

• Plantar Fasciitis
• Achilles Tendinopathy
• Retrocalcaneal Bursitis
• Lateral Epicondylosis (Tennis Elbow)
• Medial Epicondylosis (Golfer’s Elbow)
• Calcific Tendonitis (supraspinatus tendon, etc.)
• Patellar Tendinosis (Jumper’s Knee)
• Morton’s Neuroma
• Chronic Stress/Non-union Fractures
• Osgood-Schlatter disease 
• heel spurs
• cellulite

Shockwave therapy works by emitting an intense acoustic energy wave which leads to faster and long term healing and regeneration of tissue.  The waves penetrate the tissue and deliver energy to painful spots and myoskeletal tissues that have chronic conditions.   The energy generated by the shockwave promotes regeneration and reparative processes helping to break down scar tissue and fibroblasts* (most common type of cell found in connective tissue), which increases blood circulation and creates an inflammatory response that stimulates the body’s ability to self-heal and speeds up recovery times. 

Patients typically undergo treatments anywhere from three to six separate visits to our clinic. These visits are separated by seven to 14 days and usually last less than 10 minutes.  Patients typically feel immediate improvement and walk out with no assistive devices. They return to activities of daily life and work immediately after the procedure is complete.

As Shockwave therapy becomes more mainstream more and more doctors and premier athlete clubs are using it as a primary source of pain reduction.   AC Milan Football Club, through its scientific research center, the Milan Lab, has researched and used Shockwave therapy as a way of keeping their athletes in peak condition and resolving chronic injuries, with much success.  

Another example is Dr. Peter Campbell, who is a successful medical practitioner, said in an interview with The British Shockwave Association, that he had Shockwave therapy for separate Achilles tendon and tennis elbow injuries.  He said simply “it worked”.   Six years on, he has had no further relapses, runs regularly and highly recommends the treatment.