Radial Shockwave Therapy (rSWT) for muscle, joint, ligament and myofascial pain, brings the technology for disintegrating kidney stones in to the Physiotherapy clinic for chronic pain, musculoskeletal problems.
It is great for:
- Chronic Neck and Low Back trigger points
- Calcific, shoulder Rotator Cuff Tendinitis
- TMJ, chronic jaw pain
- Achilles tendinitis
- Plantar fasciitis, heel-arch pain
- Tennis or Anglers’ elbow pain, and golfers elbow
- Patellar, knee tendinitis
- Quadriceps, thigh tendinitis
- Iliotibial band, friction syndrome
- Trochanteric, hip pain
- Other tendon problems
All of these conditions are otherwise hard to treat if they don’t get better with physiotherapy and before shockwave therapy existed the next step would often be surgery.
It has a success rate of about 70-80%, so it does not work for everyone, but does help most people even when other treatments have failed. It is a great way to keep yourself away from an operation.
How does Radial Shockwave therapy work?
Radial Shockwave therapy is a non invasive way of restarting the natural healing process allowing your body to repair itself. The common factor in all of these conditions is the chronic inflammatory process, which is a vicious cycle of pain and damage that is often seen in association with over use injuries. Shockwave therapy can convert this chronic inflammatory process into an acute inflammatory process much like a fresh injury, from which the body can usual heal itself.
Institutional Shockwave units for kidney stones are huge, costly and have the power to disintegrate tissue at larger distances. This musculoskeletal unit is almost portable, affordable and works only millimeters below the skin.
How much does it cost, and will my insurance cover it?
Shockwave therapy is covered as ‘physiotherapy treatment’ being a modality used by a trained, medical professional. In Europe, a similar unit is used in dermatology and aesthetics to affect myofascial distortions; specifically those that cause ‘cellulite’. Watch for our introduction of this service under your Health Savings Account.
What happens during shock wave therapy treatment?
During Shockwave therapy, a high-intensity sound waves are sent into the tissues of the body. This leads to all sorts of beneficial effects such as new blood vessel growth, reversal of chronic inflammation, stimulation of new tissue growth and breaking down calcium deposits. For you it’s about 5 minutes of quite noisy, and a little bit uncomfortable treatment to the sore area. Some people feel some benefit right after the session, but then it may be sore for the next day or two.
Benefits of shock wave therapy treatment
- Clinical studies report success rate above 75%
- Much cheaper than surgery
- Shock wave therapy brings new technology
- No anesthesia required, no drugs, no injections
- Just 3-5 sessions of 5 minute treatments
How long does it take to work?
You are likely to feel reduced pain within minutes of starting the first treatment. You will be sore after each treatment, but it is important NOT to take anti inflammatories. The treatment works by stimulation of a ‘pro-inflammatory state’; heat may even be recommended with normal activity. Most patients experience considerable benefit by 3 months from the first treatment, but studies show improvements continue up to one year from treatment.
Are all shockwave treatments the same?
No! There are a variety of types of shockwave machines and ways to deliver the therapy. Concourse Physiotherapy uses the latest Storz Radial Shockwave Therapy unit (as pictured); which has a wealth of research for orthopedic injuries.
The type of hand piece determines how much energy can be given, and the newer ceramic hand pieces deliver more energy with less discomfort. The variable applicator head allows the new Storz machine to be much more comfortable and delivers more of the all important energy for less discomfort.
