What is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy is a modern and highly effective treatment option in orthopaedic and rehabilitation medicine. The term shockwave refers to mechanical pressure pulses that expand as a wave in the body. In modern pain therapy, shockwave energy is conducted from the point of origin to the painful body regions, where it applies its healing capacities.
The easiest way to think of the energy created by a Shockwave machine is to imagine a Jacuzzi, as the bubbles are generated outside of the body, the energy of the jets is focused on a certain area and the effect can be felt below the surface of your skin. The stronger the jet, the deeper the effect. Similarly, the more focused the jet, the more targeted the impact.
How Shockwave works
A Shockwave machine works in a similar way. A wave of energy is created and delivered to the body through a hand-piece used by the practitioner to deliver the wave to the target area. Like the jet of a Jacuzzi, the hand-piece can deliver a narrow wave (‘Focused Shockwave’) or a wider wave (‘Radial Shockwave’).
More recently, the debate is focusing on something called ‘Cavitation’. There are thousands of these Cavitation bubbles generated by the Shockwave and are, simply put, empty cavities created behind an energy flow.
These bubbles, just like in the Jacuzzi example, expand and then burst. When they burst, we know this is a major consideration in terms of repair and causing soft tissues to repair, as this irritation created within the tissue when the bubble bursts helps break down topologies and, at times, deposits of calcium within the soft tissues.
The Shockwave machine is responsible for creating the force and directing the force; to ensure the bubbles burst at the right point is the job of the hand-piece.
Again, like a Jacuzzi, more energy can be more effective, but it can also be more uncomfortable so treatments are often a balance between these two conflicting elements. The good news for you, the patient, is that there are options to tailor the treatment to your individual condition and comfort level.
Focused vs Radial Shockwave
Being able to offer both Focused and Radial Shockwave therapy is an important part of a complete treatment solution as each type has benefits for different conditions.
Responding to the latest research, we can now offer Focused Shockwave treatments in addition to Radial Shockwave. This investment in the latest equipment ensures we can give you the very best treatment across the broadest range of conditions.
A well-trained practioner equipped with a clinically proven device will heal patients.
Focused Shockwave is typically used to treat 'deeper' conditions. The device uses piezoceramic crystals to generate a pressure wave that penetrates the tissue to the target area. As the pressure wave interacts with the tissue, cavitation bubbles are created and as these collapse, a secondary Shockwave is created. The increased pressure and depth achieved by Focused shockwave has great benefits for joint related problems.
Radial Shockwave is typically used to treat symptoms over a wider area. These devices use a pneumatic action to generate the initial Shockwave. Similar to the effect with the Focused device, the Shockwave interacts with with tissue, creating cavitation bubbles that collapse to create a secondary Shockwave. The Shockwave generated by the Radial device forms a wider pattern than the Focused device making this great for soft tissue related problems.
