Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy means application outside the body

Shockwave therapy is a multidisciplinary therapy. Which is used in orthopaedics, physiotherapy, sports massage, urology and veterinary medicine. It is an innovative, cost-effective, evidence-based therapy for soft tissue pain and other conditions throughout the body.

The main assets of Shockwave Therapy is fast pain relief and restoration of mobility. It is a non-surgical therapy with no need for painkillers, making it an ideal therapy for speeding up recovery and curing various causes of acute or chronic pain.

Shockwave therapy is an innovative therapy that can target specific pain in the bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. This therapy a non-invasive treatment that can give significant or total relief of pain in the vast majority of clients.

Commonly Used For Shock Wave Therapy Are The Following Treatment Conditions:

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD) and Jaw Pain
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
Heel Spurs (Calcaneal Spurs)
Pain on Top of Foot
Upper Back Pain
Cellulite Treatment
Hip Bursitis
Football Injuries
Tendons and Ligaments
Achilles Tendonitis
Ankle Tendonitis
Heel Pain
Jumper’s Knee (Patellar Tendonitis)
Hamstring Tendonitis
Shoulder Tendonitis or Frozen Shoulder
Golfers, Pitchers, Tennis Elbow
Wrist Tendonitis Treatment
Plantar Fasciitis

This list is not exhaustive,

Studies show that Shockwave therapy treatments deliver a 91 % success rate, and more than 80 % of clients report satisfaction with a faster and easier healing process.

The Benefits are:

a. Faster, easier healing

b. Non-invasive

c. No anaesthesia required

d. No risk of infection

e. No downtime

f. No scarring

g. Cost effective

How Does It Function

The Shockwave is an acoustic wave that carries high energy to painful spots and myoskeletal tissues that has acute, subacute, subchronic or chronic conditions. The applied energy promotes regeneration and reparative processes within the bones, soft tissues, - ligaments, myofascial, muscles and tendons

Compressed air produced the kinetic energy, which is transferred to the transmitter head at the end of the applicator and into the tissue.

The shockwave interacts with the soft tissue causing overall acceleration in soft tissue repair and cell growth and mobility restoration.

Therapy Sequence

Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment. The application is simple and easy. There are 5 steps to the therapy:

Gain consent after checking the Contraindications
Firstly Location of the area to be treated, using palpation in order to deliver the therapy precisely.
Secondly, apply an adequate amount of contact gel to the area that has been located. The contact gel is necessary for the efficient and smooth transfer of the acoustic waves.
The third step is the initiation of the therapy.
The Shockwave applicator is applied against the area to be treated and the start button is pressed. No excessive pressure is required, the weight of the applicator is sufficient.
Allow the Shockwave hand applicator to cool down

Shockwave Therapy Recover

Once the treatment session is finished, the client will be able to return to normal activities straight away. Although they should avoid high impact exercise. These include running or playing tennis for the first 48 hours after treatment.

If there is any discomfort, paracetamol can be taken. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen should be avoided as it will counteract the treatment and render it useless.

In the days following shockwave therapy, tenderness, swelling and redness in the area of the treatment may be experienced. This is indicative of the healing process, and is completely normal and will subside within a days.

Contraindications (Why Shockwave Would Not Be a Suitable Application?)

Shockwave therapy is suitable for a large number of applications with minimal side effects, but there are some conditions, which are known as contraindications. That means Shockwave is not an appropriate application.

Shockwave Contraindications that have to be considered are:

If there are any open wounds;
If the client is pregnant
If there is a circulation or nerve disorder;
If the client has a blood clotting disorder (including thrombosis)
If there are signs of infection;
If the client is taking oral anticoagulants
If the client has received a steroid injection within 6 weeks
If the client fitted with a pacemaker
If the client has an infection or skin abrasion at the treatment site
If tumours are present at the treatment site
If varicose veins or spider veins are present at the treatment site
Shockwave therapy is not a suitable treatment to be used over an air-filled area such as the lungs or guts.