Shockwave

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is widely used in the treatment of both acute and chronic pain and soft tissue damage in muscles, tendons, and joints. ESWT describes the use of acoustic (sound) waves to target tissue at varying depths, apply compressive forces, and manipulate tissue; resulting in a focused and precise deep-tissue treatment. The results of the pulsed stimulus delivered by ESWT lead to increased blood flow, pain relief, and scar tissue breakdown – key components in the healing process.

A typical treatment takes between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on the region(s) being targeted. Normally 1-2 treatments are performed per week. A total of 7 treatments comprise one PiezoWave Protocol, and are recommended in order to achieve lasting results. In cases of acute pain, a single session may be successful, but results vary person to person.

What to expect during your treatment:
1. Your clinician will identify the treatment site or sites. They may mark these sites with a skin marking pen/pencil.
2. They will then apply a thin coat of coupling gel. This gel helps to translate the acoustic (sound) waves generated by the therapy head to the body.
3. The clinician will start the treatment at a low output setting, and increase the power to a level that you can comfortably handle. The output level and acoustic wave frequency rate may vary from location to location based on the depth and type of tissue being treated.
4. As the clinician moves the therapy source around the treatment area, you may feel a deep, dull ache that is familiar to you as being like the feeling your condition produces. The clinician will ask you to report when you feel the ache and will adjust the output of the device to the appropriate level for your treatment. They may also ask you to confirm that the therapy source is still creating the ache and may adjust the location of the treatment based on your feedback. If at any time the treatment becomes uncomfortable.