Shockwave treatment: What it is and how it works

Tendonitis, tennis elbow, or heel spur? Shockwave treatment can provide relief. This non-invasive treatment method has been shown to be efficient in alleviating acute and chronic musculoskeletal problems. Read on to find out what exactly shockwave treatment is, how it works, and which complaints it can help with.

What is “shockwave treatment”?

Shockwave treatment, also known as Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), uses short sound waves to treat various orthopedic complaints such as inflammation, calcification, or injury. It is a gentle and non-invasive medical treatment method that helps to greatly reduce the need for surgery. The shockwaves used in the shockwave treatment are generated in a device outside the body and then transmitted directly to the tissue. What’s so special about these sound waves is that they are able to penetrate the patient’s skin and elastic tissue, e.g. muscles and fat, easily and without causing injury. They only release their energy when hitting solid tissue components. In this way, they cause the mechanical disintegration of foreign bodies such as calcifications, kidney stones, or gallstones. Depending on the type of complaint, different strengths of shockwaves are used. Low-energy shockwaves are mainly used in the treatment of pain and inflammation, while medium-energy shockwaves are used for calcifications, and high-energy shockwaves for pseudarthrosis.

What can shockwave treatment help with?

Shockwave treatment has proven to be an effective treatment method for various orthopedic complaints such as calcifications, tendonitis, tennis elbow, heel spurs, and nonhealing fractures. It is also effective in treating kidney and gallstones as well as wound healing disorders. Shockwave treatment stimulates cell regeneration, improves blood circulation and wound healing, relieves pain, and stimulates the formation of bone growth factors, which increases the production of new bone cells.