What is Shockwave Therapy (SWT)?
Shockwave is an innovative, non-invasive treatment involving high frequency, short duration, bursts of high-energy pulses, traveling faster than the speed of sound, that are transmitted into injured tissues. These high intensity pulses of mechanical energy aggravate the injured tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, bone, etc.) at a cellular level, which stimulates a healing response. Ultimately, this treatment strategy accelerates tissue healing with minimal scar tissue production. This energy is applied directly to the site of injury in order to:
- Increase local blood flow
- Break down scar tissue and adhesions
- Decrease pain
- Create an optimal environment for cellular repair and tissue healing
- Stimulate the bodies natural healing response
Conditions that are successfully treated with Shockwave Therapy (SWT)
Shockwave therapy can be used to treat a variety of musculoskeletal conditions especially in regions where soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments connect to bone. Some of these include:
- Tennis Elbow
- Golfers Elbow
- Rotator Cuff Tendinopathies
- Calcific Tendonitis
- Jumper’s Knee
- ITB Friction Syndrome
- Groin Strain
- Hamstring Tendinopathy
- Gluteal Tendinopathy
One of the most common regions treated with shockwave therapy is the foot due to the strong support for its use in research studies. Some conditions in the foot that respond very well to shockwave include:
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Heels spurs
- Achilles Tendonosis
- Morton’s neuroma
- Peroneal tendonosis
- Tibialis posterior tendonosis
- 1st metatarsal osteoarthritis
- Stress Fractures in the bones of the foot
Is Shockwave Therapy Painful?
Shockwave therapy can be mildly painful for some however most patients are able to tolerate the discomfort well. Your physiotherapist at “BetterLife Physiotherapy”, can adjust the intensity of the energy so that it is comfortable for you and can increase up intensity if you are able to tolerate more. The most intense pain is during the application of shockwave, which only lasts a few minutes. In rare cases you may feel some soreness for approximately 24 hours after your session and you may have an inflammatory reaction which can include redness and local tissue swelling.
Is Shockwave Therapy covered by Insurance?
Shockwave therapy is covered by most health benefits plans. BetterLife Physiotherapy can also direct bills to your extended health insurance provider.
