Shockwave Therapy
What’s Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy should really be called ‘acoustic wave therapy’ as it is the delivery of sound waves to an area of pain and usually the surrounding muscle group as well. It is a fantastic therapy to heal chronic conditions.
There are two main kinds of shockwave that we use at Erica Dash Podiatry.
One is known as Radial Shockwave Therapy and the other is called Focal Shockwave Therapy.
We use shockwave to treat a number of different things from muscle injury to minor bone stress fractures.
It is a therapy that has helped many people get back to doing what they love!
What’s the Difference Between Radical Shockwave & Focal Shockwave?
Radial Shockwave is generated under air pressure and is mostly used over a broad area (like the muscle belly of a muscle),
Focal Shockwave is generated in a fluid similar to water and used on a focused area (such as a bone spur, tendinopathy or even a meniscal tear).
Both can be used in the same treatment and often are, as the benefits of both can help you heal faster.
How Does Shockwave Work?
Both forms of shockwave therapy produce many reactions in the body. In essence, it is a mechanical stimulation that produces a response in the body.
Improvement in blood flow to the area, increased immune response, reduced healing time, break up of scar tissue and/or dense collagen fibres, increased bone healing are just some of the things that shockwave therapy helps to encourage.
Radial shockwave – As you can see from the picture, radial shockwave involves a handpiece that is connected to a machine via an air hose.
Inside the handpiece is a fluted chamber that houses a small metal bullet. As the air pressure is delivered into the hand piece, the metal bullet is fired through the flute and at the metal plate which is placed against your skin.
The impact is what produces the shockwaves which then travel into your body.
Focal shockwave – Focal shockwave also involves a hand piece that is placed onto your skin. The shockwaves are produced a little differently to radial shockwaves.
In a focal shockwave machine, the shockwaves are made by an element that is submerged in a fluid.
The shockwaves then travel through the applicator on the handpiece that is also made of a similar fluid substance and then into your body.
Focal shockwaves can be more precise and focused on a particular area.
This is because your body is mainly made up of water so as the shockwaves travel into the body they can travel more deeply.
Who Does it Help & What Conditions Can Shockwave Treat?
Shockwave therapy can be used to treat many different conditions.
Some examples are:
- sporting injuries
- hip pain
- knee pain
- arthritic pain
- muscle strains
- tendinopathies
- plantar fasciitis
- stress fractures
- bursitis
- overuse injuries and much more!
Shockwave therapy is also highly effective for sports injuries and can also help optimise performance and alleviate muscle imbalances for elite athletes.
Many patients also report additional benefits such as improved sleep and mental wellbeing due to overall better body function.
Why Choose Shockwave Therapy Over Other Treatments?
Shockwave is a great alternative to treatments such as dry needling if you’re needle phobic and not keen on dry needling. This also makes it a better option for children who have injuries as well.
Shockwave Therapy is a Great Alternative
Shockwave has also been shown to improve symptoms in chronic conditions, or injuries that have been around for a long time. This includes conditions such as osteoarthritis.
It can also help prevent the requirement for future surgery and maintain current levels of mobility such as in the case of knee osteo-arthritis.
This style of treatment will be more or less on going, with a once per week for six week program, accompanied with a stretching and strengthening program.
There will then be a 12 week break, where most of the focus will be on stretching and strengthening followed by another 6 weekly sessions of shockwave.
This strategy is mainly used as a maintenance and injury prevention in long term conditions like knee osteoarthritis.
Shockwave is often used as part of a whole treatment package and this will depend on your unique problems and the way your body responds to treatment.
Your friendly experts at Erica Dash Podiatry will discuss and recommend the best treatment cadence and exercises for you.
Shockwave vs Traditional Therapeutic Treatments
Why choose shockwave over other traditional treatments such as massage therapy or strapping etc? The body of evidence supporting shockwave therapy is growing around the world.
In Germany alone more than 10000 machines are being used by healthcare professionals!
Although traditional treatment methods can be effective, shockwave therapy has been shown to accelerate your immune response and other cellular functions to improve healing time.
It is also measurable as improvements can be monitored by adjustments on the settings of the machine.
We can also treat multiple things at the same time using shockwave therapy such as scar tissue, bone spurring and muscle trigger points all in the one treatment.
Will It Hurt?
There will be some mild discomfort with the use of shockwave for it to be effective. The sensation will be similar to a dull toothache or a 5-6/10 pain.
Everyone has a different level of tolerance to discomfort. Your podiatrist will take the time to dial in the right settings for you to provide the best possible treatment while causing the least amount of discomfort.
Other sensations that you might experience is a mild tingling, referral and/or pulsing sensation. This is normal and is a good indicator that the shockwave is working.
After their session, people often experience an improvement in their symptoms with the area treated feeling more relaxed and improvement in function.
There is often a euphoric response that makes the person feel they can return to their usual level of activity.
It is important to remember you will need to take it easy, rest and not return to sport for 48 hours after treatment as your injury is continuing to heal.
For a few days after your treatment you may experience some generalised soreness in the area that was treated with shockwave as well. This is perfectly normal and will subside quickly.
Laser For Fungal
The team at Erica Dash Podiatry choose ‘Pinpointe Laser” to treat your fungal nails. Laser therapy is a safe, non-invasive, painfree and effective treatment option for nail fungus.
Orthotics
If you experience foot, knee or leg pain in your daily activities then a professionally fitted custom orthotic could be the answer to your foot problems.
Dry Needling
Dry needle therapy can be very effective in treating a range of conditions including chronic muscle pain, neuromuscular problems, and sports injuries.
Schedule Your Appointment
Erica Dash Podiatry is family friendly treating a wide range of foot and leg complaints of patients of any age or stage of life - See All Podiatrists
Call us at 02 4367 0177 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your podiatry appointment today!