Wednesday 1 June 2016

Shockwave Therapy: A New Treatment for Pain and Injuries

Tendonitis and other types of musculoskeletal pain can not only be frustrating, but can prevent you from doing many of the activities you enjoy. Shockwave therapy is a new treatment that sends shockwaves through the targeted areas of the body, focusing on injuries that cause chronic pain. Injuries that affect the tendons and ligaments and are caused by continuous, repetitive movement can cause debilitating pain.



How Shockwave Therapy Works?
The shockwaves are generated outside of the body and directed towards the area of pain. As the quick bursts of energy target the injury, they begin to break up blockages in tissues and actually “shock” the tissues causing them to relax and release toxins that may have accumulated. The vibration breaks up inflammation resulting in a rush of freshly oxygenated blood to the area. The additional oxygen and nutrients help to speed up the healing process and reduce pain and discomfort.

Benefits of Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy can be used to control pain caused by a variety of conditions including:

• Tendonitis
Low back pain
• Plantar fasciitis
• Epicondylitis
• Shoulder and other joint pain

The procedure has a variety of benefits including the reversal of chronic inflammation, the accelerated repair of tissue, and renewed cell growth and stimulation of the production of collagen. Shockwave therapy also helps to restore mobility by releasing trigger points, dissolving fibroblasts that have become calcified and disperses pain mediators that can increase discomfort.

Over time, conditions like tendonitis, epicondylitis and lower back pain can result in the production of scar tissue and even arthritis. Addressing these conditions in their earliest stages can help to reduce the chronic discomfort that may eventually decrease the patient's quality of life.