Shock wave therapy (also known as extracorporeal shock wave) is a cutting edge form of treatment in the world of sports medicine. Its a very similar technology to that used to “blast” kidney and gallstones, and does not involve electrical shocks, but rather mechanical pulses, similar to sound waves.
Although the physiological mechanism of how exactly this mechanical pulse works is still not fully understood, the research shows us that the “waves” cause microtrauma and inflammation, stimulating the formation of new blood vessels and nerve cells, and speeding up healing of tissue. There is also a positive effect on reducing pain through a pain gate mechanism.
In other words, it improves blood supply and speeds up tissue regeneration!
So why is this so amazing you ask?
Well basically its taking something the body would normally do on its own, and speeds it up significantly, without the need for injections or surgery. Numerous medical research reports have shown that shockwave therapy can be 80-90% effective at completely and rapidly resolving injuries within 3-6 applications.
The most significant application in sports medicine is in the treatment of chronic tendon, muscle and joint conditions. So things like:
- Tennis elbow/ Golfers elbow
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy
- Frozen Shoulder
- Trochanteric Bursitis
- Hamstring tendinopathy
- Achilles tendinpathy
- Patella tendinopathy
- Plantar fasciitis
- Muscle knots and trigger points
- ITB friction syndrome
- Chronic ligament pain
- And even more conditions are healing in weeks instead of months…