Technology has been beneficial to humans, even in the area of physiotherapy. Shockwave Therapy is a testimonial to this claim. Shockwave therapy uses a technology that sends strong and short energy waves with swifter traveling capacity than sound into the body to generate benefits such as inducing tissue healing, breaking down calcification and tissue adhesions, reducing pain, and boosting function. Also, shockwave therapy is a form of non-invasive treatment that generates the wave pulsations that are used directly on an injury through the patient’s skin using a gel medium. These shockwaves often change in pressure and the energy which is generated by compressed air is sent to the transmitter at the end of the applicator and deeper into the skin tissue.
With shockwave therapy, you may not need to use painkillers because the therapy aims to stimulate the natural healing response of the body. It helps to reduce pain and increase mobility and range of movement. Furthermore, this therapy aids new blood vessel formation because the wave pulsation would create capillary miniruptures which will, in turn, stimulate the nutrient blood flow needed to start and continue the processes of repairing damaged tissue. Other things it does include the reversal of chronic inflammation, disbanding of calcified fibroblasts, the release of trigger points, and stimulation of collagen production.
You may be wondering how exactly shockwave therapy works. This therapy, also known as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) uses relatively lower energy than most medical applications to treat a lot of musculoskeletal conditions, particularly for those involving connective tissues like ligaments and tendons.
At your first visit to the therapist before commencing the treatment, you will be diagnosed to ensure that your injury will require shockwave therapy as an appropriate treatment. Most times, this therapy also combined with other therapy, including specific exercises and activity modification. The therapy will also try to evaluate other causative issues like the tightness of a muscle group or posture. Shockwave therapy is often done once a week for a range of 3 to 6 weeks. It is important to note that this is also somewhat dependent on results. The therapy may cause a relatively mild inconvenience, but it should persist no longer than 4-5 minutes. The intensity and pressure can also be tweaked to make it more comfortable.
Shockwave therapy is used to treat these conditions: tendonitis (both Achilles and patella), rotator cuff tendinopathy (whether it is with or without calcification), hip and connective tissue pain, lateral epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis (with or without the heel spur), tennis & golfers elbow, bursitis in the hip, shin splints in the lower leg, band friction syndrome in the upper leg, and prolonged back and neck pain. Asides all these conditions, it is worthy of mention that shockwave therapy is most useful for people who have chronic (longer than six weeks) pain in the elbow, heel spur, and tendinopathies that have defied other forms of treatment.
The advantages of shockwave therapy are that the therapy is quite cost-effective; it is non-intrusive for shoulder, heel, knee, or elbow pain. Moreover, ESWT does not need you to use anesthesia or use pain killers. However, its use is mainly limited to these fields- orthopedics, rehabilitation, and sports medicine.
Are there side effects one might experience when using it? Yes. After the therapy, you may feel some tenderness or temporary soreness for a few days because the shockwaves are rousing an inflammatory reaction. However, you are advised not to take anti-inflammatory medicine because this reaction is the process of your natural body healing. Taking anti-inflammatory drugs may delay the results of the therapy.
Here is a note of caution: this therapy should not be used by people who have nerve or circulation disorders, bone tumor, metabolic bone condition, or people with infection. It is also not safe to apply it to areas with open wounds. Other people who are ineligible for the use of shockwave therapy include pregnant women and people on blood-thinning medication.
Take an appointment for Shockwave Therapy in Surrey Delta, BC at Therapex Health Centre
Call us at 604-597-8898
Visit us in person at 11946 88 Avenue, Delta BC, V4C 3C8
