Does Shock Wave Therapy Help?
CONTENT:
- What is Shock Wave Therapy
- What Can Be Achieved with SWT: Destructive and Stimulating Effects
- Indications for Shock Wave Therapy
- How is Shock Wave Therapy Conducted
- Is Shock Wave Therapy Painful
- How Quickly Does SWT Work
The paradoxical logic of our fellow citizens creates a "topsy-turvy" reality filled with a myriad of absurd stereotypes. According to most people, only branded items can be of high quality, only expensive foods are healthy, and if a medication is recommended by a pharmacist, it must be effective and will certainly help. Everything else is questioned, especially if it cannot be seen, touched, or tasted. For example, ultrasound—no one sees it, and it's unclear how it works. Somehow, it miraculously allows us to see internal organs and determine the gender of an unborn child—this is very good, and we approve of it. However, we know nothing about the therapeutic and stimulating properties of ultrasound, and even less about infrasound, so we automatically doubt the procedures performed with their help. And if a progressive doctor prescribes shock wave therapy instead of expensive medications and painful surgeries, he probably doesn't understand "real, quality treatment," and we will go looking for another doctor. Because it’s unclear how sound, which we don't even hear, can help us, much less cure us. It turns out it can! And that's exactly what we're going to discuss today—the effectiveness of shock wave therapy.
What is Shock Wave Therapy?
Shock wave therapy (SWT) is a physiotherapeutic method that involves the application of acoustic impulses with a large amplitude and low frequency, i.e., infrasound (16-25 Hz). We don't hear it, but it exists, penetrates our body, and has the necessary effect.
How Does Shock Wave Therapy Work?
Infrasound easily and painlessly penetrates the soft tissues of our body. When it encounters acoustically dense formations (ligaments, bones, cartilage, pathological areas, fat), it acts on them with its energy, mechanically massaging the "obstacle" it encounters. When the power of the acoustic impulse is increased, the "massage" becomes destructive, which is successfully used in lithotripsy—the destruction of kidney and gallstones without surgical intervention. Similarly, shock wave therapy destroys bone growths and calcified formations in the body. If the power of the acoustic impulse is reduced, the "massage" will have the opposite effect—a stimulating effect.
What Can Be Achieved with SWT: Destructive and Stimulating Effects
When performed timely and correctly, the effectiveness of shock wave therapy reaches up to 85%. A range of positive stimulating effects is observed:
- Increased local blood flow
- Accelerated local metabolic processes
- Improved tissue trophism and oxygenation
- Pain and spasm relief
- Accelerated reparative regeneration processes
- Restoration of muscle and skin tone
- Growth of new microvessels, etc.
As for the destructive effects of SWT, its procedures are successfully used to achieve the following results:
- Softening of bone spurs
- Absorption of fibrous foci
- Destruction of calcified formations
- Cavitation of fat deposits, etc.
Shock wave therapy significantly improves the quality of life for patients of all age groups. It really helps! It helps not only to forget about pain and suffering but also to avoid surgical intervention and lifelong medication.
Indications for Shock Wave Therapy
- Degenerative-dystrophic pathologies: arthrosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, non-infectious synovitis
- Inflammation and damage to tendons and bones: plantar fasciitis, epicondylitis, trochanteritis, bone necrosis
- Soft tissue damage: diabetic foot, long-healing wounds
- Spine diseases: osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernias, spondyloarthrosis
- Injuries and damage to the musculoskeletal system: tendon ruptures, muscle tears, joint capsule sprains, myofascial syndrome, muscle-tonic syndrome
- Urological pathologies: chronic pelvic pain syndrome, abacterial prostatitis, Peyronie's disease, erectile dysfunctions
- Rehabilitation: in case of arthrogenic contractures, after arthroscopies, open bone fractures, non-healing fractures
- In sports medicine: for muscle hypertonia, periostopathy of the tibia
- In aesthetic cosmetology: for the destruction of large amounts of fat deposits, treatment of cellulite at stages III and IV
How is Shock Wave Therapy Conducted?
There is no special preparation needed for SWT procedures. Their implementation involves several mandatory stages:
- Cleaning the treatment area
- Applying a special gel to conduct acoustic impulses
- Treating the problem area with the SWT device nozzle
- Removing the gel residue
The average duration of one procedure is 15-20 minutes, after which the patient (client) can go home.
Is Shock Wave Therapy Painful?
No, it is not! During the treatment, you may feel tolerable vibrations, tapping, or intense heat.
Does Shock Wave Therapy Have Side Effects?
SWT is a non-invasive procedure that does not harm the human body and rarely causes side effects. However, in 5-7% of cases, phenomena such as petechiae, swelling, and redness of the skin may occur, which is due to the individual reaction of the skin and body to the shock wave exposure. All unpleasant phenomena pass on their own after 3-5 days.
Additionally, patients with bone growths, calcified formations, and similar pathologies may experience an increase in pain syndrome, which is also considered normal. Usually, after several procedures, the condition of the patients normalizes.
How Quickly Does SWT Work?
Very quickly! The initial effect is observed after the first SWT session, and no more than 3-5 procedures, performed once every 5-7 days, are required to completely solve the problem.
For more detailed information about the methodology and principles of using SWT devices, contact our experts—call us!
