About Shockwave Therapy

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Shockwaves accelerate the healing process by activating the body’s self-healing powers, particularly in cases where the body has been unable to do it on its own. 

It stimulates metabolism and enhances blood circulation which enables damaged tissue to regenerate and eventually heal. The treatment relieves pain by producing an analgesic effect on the treatment area. Healing occurs over several treatments by initiating an inflammatory response and ultimately vascularization to the area. 

Shockwave therapy accelerates the healing process in the body by stimulating the metabolism and enhancing blood circulation to regenerate and heal damaged tissue. Strong energy pulses are applied with our equipment to the affected area. These pulses occur for very short periods of time, creating micro-cavitation bubbles that expand and burst. The force created by these bubbles penetrates tissue and stimulates cells in the body that are responsible for bone and connective tissue healing. 

In many instances, shockwave therapy is most effective in cases where the human body has been unable to heal itself on its own. These high energy acoustic waves that are transmitted through the surface of the skin are spread radially (spherically) into the body and the body responds with increased metabolic activity around the area of the pain. This stimulates and accelerates the healing process and is especially useful for those suffering from chronic heel, shoulder, knee, achilles, elbow and back pain. 

The use of shockwave in therapy is that it effectively takes a tissue from a more chronic to a more acute state, and in doing so, provides a stimulus (trigger) to a 'stalled' repair sequence". 

Your Victoria Shelbourne Physiotherapist will apply shockwaves through a specially designed hand piece that produces strong energy pulses for short periods of time.  The shockwave energy pulses are applied directly to the affected tissue areas in controlled procedure. Shockwaves have a mechanical effect on the tissue.  Pressure in the front of the shockwave is transmitted into the tissue, creating micro-cavitation bubbles that expand and burst into a resultant force. This force penetrates tissue and stimulates cells in the body which are responsible for bone (osteoblast) and connective tissue (fibroblast) healing. Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (known as ESWT) is a modern and highly effective treatment method validated by research. The process introduces high-energy sound waves into the painful areas of the body. and with this innovative therapy approach, pathological alterations of tendons, ligaments, capsules, muscles and bones can be eliminated systematically.

Research has also shown that Shockwave also breaks down calcium deposits.