Your healthcare provider is likely to prescribe a variety of treatments to help patients manage pain, including medication, physical therapy, steroid injections, and surgery. Whether it comes from an injury or chronic issues, every patient’s pain is different, and not all remedies will address their pain effectively. If you need alternative pain treatments, you should consider shockwave therapy.
Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive medical treatment that uses high-energy sound waves to promote healing in tissues and bones. It has been used to treat a variety of conditions, including plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, tendinitis, and bone fractures. It has been shown to be effective in many cases and is an attractive alternative to more invasive treatments such as surgery.
If you are suffering from a painful or chronic condition, shockwave therapy may be worth considering as a treatment option. Read on to learn more about how shockwave therapy works and the specific benefits it can give you.
What is Shockwave Therapy?
So, how does shockwave therapy work? As the name suggests, shockwave therapy works by pushing high-energy sound waves into the area of the body that is experiencing pain. These sound waves increase blood flow to the affected area and promote the growth of new blood vessels, which in turn deliver more oxygen and nutrients to that part of the body. In the end, this reduces pain and inflammation and enables the body to heal itself more quickly.
The shockwave treatment itself typically involves a series of sessions, during which a healthcare provider uses a handheld device that emits sound waves. The device is placed on the skin above the affected area, and the sound waves are delivered through the skin and into the underlying tissue. The duration and intensity of the treatment can vary depending on the condition being treated and its severity.
As a healthcare provider, you may wonder, “Can shockwave therapy cause damage?” Fortunately, the answer is usually no. During the treatment, the patient may feel mild discomfort or pain, but this is usually short-lived and can be managed with mild pain medication if necessary.
The Benefits of Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy has become increasingly popular in recent years. Its unique properties make it effective at treating a wide range of medical conditions. Shockwave therapy can:
- Break down and dissolve calcified tissue: Shockwave therapy is particularly useful for treating conditions such as plantar fasciitis, where the build-up of calcified tissue can cause intense pain and inflammation. By breaking down and dissolving this tissue, the pain and inflammation are reduced, and the body is better able to heal.
- Stimulate blood circulation: Shockwave therapy promotes blood flow and the growth of new blood vessels in the affected area, which can help to speed up the healing process.
- Promotes healing: Shockwave therapy stimulates the natural healing process by stimulating osteoblasts that are responsible for bone healing and new bone production and fibroblasts that are responsible for new tissue production. By stimulating these cells, shockwave therapy can help to repair damage caused by injury or disease.
- Promote new collagen production: Shockwave therapy promotes the production of new collagen, a protein that is essential for healthy connective tissue. Collagen helps to strengthen and support the body’s joints and tissues, which reduces the risk of further injury and also facilitates healing.
- Reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain: Shockwave therapy overstimulates nerve endings in the affected area, which can reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain.
- Treat more stubborn musculoskeletal conditions: Shockwave therapy is a viable option for chronic tendinopathy that hasn’t responded to more conservative treatments, as well as tendinopathy that results from sports-related injuries, such as plantar fasciitis of the heel, lateral epicondylitis of the elbow (tennis elbow), tendonitis of the shoulder, patellar tendinopathy, and Achilles tendinopathy.
Shockwave therapy can also offer quick results. How long does shockwave therapy take to work? Patients can often see results immediately after treatment, but the best results occur within several weeks. The exact number and duration of treatments necessary can vary, but all that is usually needed are three treatments, generally administered seven days apart.
Above all, when administered correctly, shockwave therapy has little-to-no risks. Unlike surgery or injections, it does not carry the risk of complications or side effects, making it an excellent alternative for patients who cannot or do not want to undergo invasive procedures.
How Shockwave Therapy Can Help Your Practice
In short, shockwave therapy is a non-invasive and effective treatment option for patients who are dealing with a variety of painful conditions. With its ability to promote healing, reduce inflammation and swelling, and stimulate the growth of new tissue, this therapy can help your patients to feel better faster and avoid more invasive procedures that will prolong or complicate their healing process.
SoftWave’s shockwave therapy is a particularly effective and innovative option that healthcare providers should consider adding to their treatment offerings. Our state-of-the-art treatment option utilizes cutting-edge technology in a patented shockwave device to improve the potential of sound wave therapy. The SoftWave device is designed to provide accurate and precise treatment, ensuring that the sound waves are delivered exactly where they are needed.
Our device is also easy to operate and can be used in an office or clinic setting. It doesn’t require a sterile environment, numbing creams, or even the direct supervision of a physician —- the treatment is a simple outpatient procedure, after which patients can just return to their day.
SoftWave’s shockwave therapy offers numerous benefits for both patients and healthcare providers. For patients, this treatment can provide fast and effective pain relief without the need for invasive procedures, and it can also speed up the healing process. If you are a healthcare provider, incorporating SoftWave’s shockwave therapy into your practice can help you to improve patient outcomes and increase patient satisfaction, which will ultimately help you to grow your business.
If you are interested in the advantages that SoftWave shockwave therapy can provide, call us today.
