Shockwave Therapy in Burlington
Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment using a series of low energy acoustic wave pulsations directly applied to an injury through a person’s skin via a gel medium. The concept and technology originally evolved from the discovery that focused sound waves were capable of breaking down kidney and gallstones. The technology has proven successful in many scientific studies as a treatment for several chronic conditions.
NEW PATIENTS
What Is Shockwave Therapy?
The therapy is used for lingering injuries, or pain resulting from illness. You don’t need painkillers with it—the therapy triggers the body’s own natural healing response. Many people report a reduction in pain and improved mobility after the first treatment.
These generated waves have been used for issues involving ligaments and tendons for conditions that have not shown improvement with other therapies. These conditions may include
- Tennis elbow
- Achilles tendon
- Rotator cuff
- Plantar fasciitis
- Jumper’s knee
- Calcific tendinopathy
- Heel spurs
Whether the result of a sports injury, overuse, or repetitive strain, shockwave therapy can help heal and reduce your pain.
How Does It Work?
This innovative therapy that targets pain is becoming more common as a modality used in physiotherapy. With a much lower energy than used in medical applications, this therapy, also known as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), is used for many musculoskeletal conditions, primarily those involving connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons.
It offers physiotherapists another tool for stubborn, chronic tendinopathy that just doesn’t seem to respond to traditional forms of treatment. Care is most suitable for people with chronic (i.e. greater than six weeks), tendinopathies (also referred to as tendinitis), which haven’t responded to other treatment.
What to Expect
When you visit our office, as part of our examination, we will assess whether your problem might benefit from shockwave therapy. Your provider will ensure you understand your condition and what should be done in conjunction with treatment—activity modification, specific exercises, assessing any other contributing issues, such as posture, tightness/weakness of other muscle groups, etc.
Usually done once a week for 3-6 weeks, based on results, the treatment itself may cause mild discomfort, but it only lasts 4-5 minutes, and the intensity can be adjusted to keep it comfortable.
Patients have seen results with conditions in various parts of the body, such as
- Feet—heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis
- Elbow—tennis and golfer’s elbow
- Shoulder—calcific tendinosis of rotator cuff muscles
- Knee—patellar tendinitis
- Hip—bursitis
- Lower leg—shin splints
- Upper leg—Iliotibial band friction syndrome
- Back pain—lumbar and cervical spine regions and chronic muscular pain
After treatment, you may experience temporary soreness, tenderness, or swelling for a few days, as the shock waves stimulate an inflammatory response in your body as it heals itself naturally. It’s important not to take any anti-inflammatory medication, which may slow down your results.
Upon completion of your treatment, you can return to most regular activities almost immediately.
Are There Any Side Effects?
This therapy should not be used if there is a circulation or nerve disorder, infection, bone tumor, or metabolic bone condition, open wounds or tumors, or during pregnancy. People using blood-thinning medications or with severe circulatory disorders may also not be eligible for treatment.
Learn More Today
Find out if shockwave therapy can help you. Contact us today to book an appointment.
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