Relieve pain and stimulate repair with Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)
If you’ve ever wished you could hit the ‘reset’ button to heal your chronic tendon or fascia problem, then Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy might the answer.
Shockwave Therapy has been used extensively in sports medicine for many years, so if you’re a keen athlete you might have heard of it before.
For the rest of us, Shockwave Therapy is a relatively new treatment option that produces fast results in many chronic tendon and fascia conditions that historically have been difficult to treat.
Effective Shockwave Therapy treatment for tendon and fascia pain in Cambridge
Shockwave Therapy can be applied to almost all tendon and fascia problems (tendinitis, tendinosis, tendionopathy, fasciopathy) to relieve pain and stimulate healing but it’s particularly recommended for:
- Shoulder pain - calcified tendons, sub acromial pain syndrome, impingement
- Tennis and golfers elbow
- Outer hip pain - greater trochanteric pain syndrome or gluteal tendinopathy
- Hamstring tendon problems
- Knee pain - runners knee / anterior knee pain / patellofemoral pain syndrome
- Achilles tendon Pain or tendinopathy
- Heel Pain - Plantar fasciitis
Shockwave Therapy machines work by generating pneumatic pulses of pressure which are applied directly to painful tendons and fascia using a handset. It’s a similar technology to the procedure used in hospitals to break up kidney and gall stones (lithotripsy).
When shockwaves are applied a small amount of inflammation is created in the tissues, which re-starts the healing processes and accelerates the repair of nerves and blood vessels. It also gives great relief from pain.
Shockwave treatments last about 10 – 15 minutes and most conditions require three treatments, applied one week apart.
At our Cambridge clinic, we combine Shockwave Therapy with other physiotherapy treatments, advice and exercises as part of a full treatment programme, designed not only to relieve your pain but also prevent it from coming back again.
Are there any side effects for Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave Therapy is a safe, effective treatment with no known side effects.
It’s approved and recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), the public body governing medical safety in the UK.
There are a few people for whom Shockwave Therapy wouldn’t be recommended, for example if you are pregnant, if you are under 21 years of age or if you take medication to thin your blood. Also, Shockwave Therapy can’t be applied to part body where the blood or nerve supply is poor or over an area where metal has been implanted (bones screws, pins or plates).
Does shockwave therapy hurt?
The first few minutes of each shockwave treatment may be a bit sore and afterwards your skin can be tender, like you’ve had a deep tissue massage. Skin redness is also common and it’s possible that you might experience some bruising if you mark easily.
Most people will have an improvement in their symptoms about 8 -10 days after the first application but it can be several weeks after treatment before you see the change in your condition.
