Shockwave therapy refers to the multidisciplinary device that is used extensively in orthopedics, sports medicine, physiotherapy, veterinary medicine, and urology. Shockwave therapy is the medical therapy used by the various branches of medical science including orthopedics, physiotherapy, veterinary medicine, urology, sports medicine, etc. The shockwave therapy helps in pain relief, mobility restoration, etc. This helps in pain relief and hence you don’t need to consume painkillers. It is also helpful for those recovering from any surgery. It helps to cure several indications that lead to chronic and acute pain. You may now wonder how it is possible. Shockwave is actually an acoustic wave carrying energy in high levels to painful regions. It relieves pain in the myoskeletal tissues, chronic in nature. The energy that moves to the region helps in the regenerative process, the reparative process in the bones, soft tissues, and tendons. Indeed, they are characterized by high amplitude, a great change in the pressure and also periodicity.
Wondering why acoustic waves are used in shockwave therapy? It has a very high energy level which interacts with the muscular tissues directly to help in cellular repair and growth process. The acoustic waves help to restore mobility, analgesia and can treat acute, sub-acute and chronic pain. If you have pain in certain regions of your body, shockwave therapy can help. Almost 80% of the patients have reported that they could successfully eliminate pain with the use of shockwave therapy.
Is there any pain or discomfort during the treatment?
When there is the use of shockwave therapy for pain relief, there may be slight discomfort. It all depends on the extent of pain the patient experiences already. But, as the treatment only continues for 5-6 minutes, the patient is able to tolerate the discomfort or pain. The doctor may adjust the intensity all through the treatment process. The number of sessions required by the patient relies on the tissue response and the indication. The impact of this treatment is cumulative. Thus, there is a need for 4-5 sessions. Just after the first treatment, you will experience a sort of pain relief. Most of the indications need 4-5 treatments with the gap of 5-10 days. It all depends on how well the patient responds to the treatment. After 2-3 hours of the treatment, there may be soreness in the region. But, this soreness is pretty tolerable and does not limit the motion.
What conditions can it handle?
If you are suffering from heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, then you are not alone. Each year many people suffer from this condition. It gets difficult to accomplish the daily activities due to the severe pain. When it is hard to do even the easiest of daily activities, frustration and despair creep in. If you want to overcome the pain and get over with the feeling of helplessness, you may opt for shockwave therapy. The pain may affect anyone and any region of the body. This problem may affect the runners, athletes and the ones who are obese. People who develop pain in the foot when they stand for long hours can take this therapy. Chefs, hairdressers and shop assistants can adopt this pain relief therapy. Steroid injections and physiotherapy may relieve symptoms relating to plantar fasciitis. If the case is chronic, surgery may be prescribed along with shockwave therapy. It might take around 6-8 weeks to recover.
The ones who suffer from chronic pain in the ankles and feet may opt for shockwave therapy. The non-surgical treatment procedure is an effective treatment for plantar fasciitis. The recovery time following the surgery also reduces with it. The response that the therapy provokes is anti-inflammatory. The treatment is non-invasive, non-surgical, quick and effective.
Guest Blogger
Emma Smith, she can be reached at emma.au2012@gmail.com
