Shock waves

What are shock waves ?

Shockwave therapy involves electrostimulation. Shock waves are created by tiny electrical discharges. There are two types of shock waves: extracorporeal and radial.

Radial shock waves are currently used is sports medicine due to their ease of use :

• Compact, silent appliance
• Ease of application with mobile tip
• No need for an anesthetic
• Good patient compliance

What is shockwave therapy ?

Shockwave therapy involves stimulating the damaged tendon to promote healing and can be used to treat tendon conditions and chronic fibrotic lesions through:

• Mechanical action
• Local analgesic and anti-inflammatory action

What conditions can be treated using shock waves ?

The following conditions can generally be treated using shock waves :

• Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
• Calcific shoulder tendinopathies
• Golfer’s elbow or medial epicondylitis
• Trochanteric bursitis
• Patellar tendinopathy
• Periostitis
• Achyllodynia
• Plantar fasciitis
• Chronic enthesitis
• Painful Trigger Points

What does a session involve ?

The high-energy ultrasound shock waves act directly on the deeper underlying tissues (you don’t feel the vibrations on your skin).

A standard session consists in :

• Locating the area to be treated using palpation
• Applying a transmission gel
• 2000 to 3000 shocks at 2.5 bars.
• No need for an anesthetic.

Generally, 4 to 6 sessions of 5 to 10 minutes each are carried out at weekly intervals.
The symptoms gradually improve but total healing is only observed about 6 weeks after the final session.

What happens afterwards ?

It is often possible to continue sports activities during the treatment as long as you respect the pain and don’t put too much strain on the area being treated.

You will see a rapid improvement in your quality of life and a reduction in pain while maintaining moderate physical activity below the pain threshold.

This therapy is an interesting alternative to surgery and corticosteroid infiltrations for treating tendinopathies.