Did you know that Shockwave Therapy (SWT) is an effective treatment for chronic pain and injury? Shockwave Therapy is designed to treat acute and chronic conditions and is an excellent treatment to reduce pain and promote healing in the body, particularly for people who are experiencing pain in the joints, soft tissues and muscles. It can be used alongside physiotherapy and is a non-invasive option that is popular with athletes as well as those who have suffered injuries in daily life.
Shockwave therapy, also known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy, is delivered via a handheld device, operated by a trained medical practitioner, which delivers pulse-like waves of energy to specific areas that require treatment. If you have an injury or chronic condition that you feel may benefit from Shockwave Therapy, read on for more information or contact us to discuss your options. At Roxboro, our experienced team of GPs will be happy to consider whether shockwave therapy is appropriate in your situation, taking your medical history and the nature of your condition or injury into account.
Why Use Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy is a popular option to aid the recovery process and reduce pain, and the fact that it is non-invasive makes it a good choice for many people. Treatment sessions are short and effective, and the treatment can be adapted to maximize the benefits for individual people so your pain threshold can be taken into account, unlike in other forms of treatment.
After a session of shockwave therapy, you are likely to experience increased mobility, and this can also help to speed up the healing process. International studies demonstrate many benefits of shockwave therapy, and it is effective for patients with conditions such as knee pain, hip pain, back pain and plantar fasciitis and other foot conditions which cause extreme pain in the heels. Shockwave therapy is also useful to break down calcifications, or calcium deposits, that build up in the body.
Shockwave therapy does not involve electric shocks but a physical sound wave shock, which is usually painless or provokes only a mild discomfort. It can occasionally cause increased pain and sensitivity for short periods of time after treatment.
What Conditions Can Shockwave Therapy Help With?
Shockwave therapy can be used to treat a number of conditions and sports injuries, including:
- Hamstring tendinopathy
- Injuries to tendons
- Golfer’s elbow
- Tennis elbow
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Heel Spurs
- Frozen shoulder or shoulder tendinopathies
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Jumper’s knee
- Stress fractures
- Osteoarthritis
How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?
There are three stages to shockwave therapy, which is usually administered once a week to allow the body to heal between sessions. Most people require more than three to five sessions to resolve an injury or notice a significant improvement in their condition. The three stages are:
- Shockwaves radiate through the body to carry soundwaves to the affected area. A non-invasive hand tool is used to deliver these shockwaves, and this will normally deliver 1,000-3,000 shocks per session.
- The soundwaves stimulate recovery by increasing the flow of blood in the soft tissues of the targeted area. This effectively assists the body’s ability to regenerate tissues.
- Increased circulation creates inflammation, and this brings fresh oxygen and nutrients to the affected area. This creates a healing response in the body and activates the stem cells to promote recovery and help to relieve pain by stimulating the nerves at the injury site.
Following treatment, you should avoid high impact, intense exercise for 48 hours. You should not take any medication that has not been discussed with the clinician who administered the treatment as this will counter the inflammatory reaction in the body and reverse the healing process that has started with treatment.
Contraindications of Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy is suitable for most people in most situations, but you cannot have it if you are pregnant, or if you have had a steroid injection in the same area in the last three months. It is also unsuitable for use near the brain, spine or lungs, or if you have a bleeding disorder or an infection or wound in the affected area or reduced/poor sensation or neuropathy. If you have a pacemaker or are taking any blood thinning medication or anti-inflammatory medication, you should speak with your clinician to ensure that shockwave treatment is appropriate for you.
Advantages of Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy could be a great option for you if you have a muscular skeletal condition such as those mentioned above, and you can talk to your doctor or clinician to find out whether it is an appropriate treatment for you.
The advantages of this treatment include:
- It is non-surgical. Shockwave therapy can help you to avoid surgery, and you can even receive treatment while you are on a surgical waiting list to keep your options open. This treatment often enables people to heal without surgery and this means you will not have to undergo an operation or endure a long period of recovery after surgery. You and your clinician will discuss the effects of your treatment and consider surgery again if you do not experience any improvement with shockwave therapy.
- It can be used as part of combined therapy. You can undertake shockwave therapy alongside a physical therapy program to help speed up the healing process, and this is a popular option amongst athletes who have chronic pain or injuries but are keen to avoid surgery at this stage.
- Effective for tough cases. If you have a tough injury that is taking a long time to heal, you may find shockwave therapy very useful to help the soft tissues regenerate. You may also be offered non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication while you are doing physical therapy, or you may be considered for steroid shots, but surgery is usually considered only as a last resort and shockwave therapy can be a really good option to try instead.
- It doesn’t have many side effects. Shockwave therapy is similar to an ultrasound procedure and is only likely to cause a little discomfort. Slight bruising occasionally occurs, and you may feel numbness and/or mild swelling as the area heals after treatment. If you notice any other side effects, you should talk to your doctor.
Book Your Shockwave Therapy at Roxboro
At Roxboro Medical Centre, we offer patient focused care and our experienced doctors work with athletes and non-athletes to resolve injury and promote healing. We offer our services by appointment so you can book by calling or emailing our team. We are based just a short walk from Limerick City Centre and we are open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
We offer services for the whole family, including children’s health, men’s health, women’s health and sports medicine, as well as shockwave therapy, and we will be happy to talk with you about the best options for you and your loved ones. You can book an initial appointment with one of our experienced GPs to discuss which treatment approach will be most beneficial for you, and you can rest assured that you and your family are in good hands.