Shockwave Therapy (SWT) is a new and exciting non-invasive treatment we are now offering here at Physioflexx.
Delivering fast acting pain relief, you are bound to feel the positive effects from your first treatment session. It is a great adjunct therapy that could be added alongside your current treatment. You may feel you have tried everything out there so Shockwave Therapy might be ideal for you.
Shockwave Therapy (SWT) is a new and exciting non-invasive treatment we are now offering here at Physioflexx.
Delivering fast acting pain relief, you are bound to feel the positive effects from your first treatment session. It is a great adjunct therapy that could be added alongside your current treatment. You may feel you have tried everything out there so Shockwave Therapy might be ideal for you.
What is Shockwave?
Simply put, Shockwave Therapy is a process of delivering high energy acoustic waves into the body to promote local blood flow and stimulate tissue healing.
An easy way to visual what is happening is to imagine the shock waves that follow behind an aircraft travelling at supersonic speed.
Shockwave Therapy delivers these types of waves at a much smaller level. This can be adjusted to accommodate which structure is the source of pain.
What exactly does Shockwave do?
This section is for those that want to geek out a little about the more technical effects of Shockwave.
SWT improves local blood supply to the area treated. The waves create micro-ruptures within the tissue that stimulates remodelling and growth of new blood vessels.
Evidence even suggests it is effective in promoting blood flow to avascular (tissues with poor blood supply) tissues such as tendons. This is why SWT is extremely beneficial for you if you are suffering from tendinopathies.
SWT has also been shown to reverse chronic inflammation. While small amounts of inflammation are essential for tissue healing, chronic inflammation that lingers for long periods of time can eventually lead to chronic pain.
SWT change the tissues from a chronic state to a more acute state. This restarts the (good) inflammatory process which in turn will restart the healing process.
The Science bit....
Collagen is a protein in the body that can be found in bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Think of them as scaffolding. They provide strength and structure within the body’s tissues. SWT accelerates the production of collagen to create stronger strctures.
Calcification of a tendon usually occurs after a micro-tear or other form of trauma, causing it to harden.
This can leave you with pain on movement or sometimes a ‘pinching’ feeling. SWT starts the decalcification process by breaking up the calcium into really small particles which are then cleared by your body naturally.
“Substance P” is a fancy name for a chemical in the body that transmits and relays pain to your central nervous system. Too much Substance P(ain) is associated with intense, persistent and chronic pain.
The obvious thing you would want is to reduce the levels of Substance P...right? Well, this is exactly what SWT offers. The acoustic waves reduce the concentration levels and initiates pain relief.
One of the last benefits SWT provides is the release of trigger points. Those annoying balls of tension you can feel in your back, neck, shoulders. These are the result of tight bands of muscle fibres that are extremely contracted.
They contract so tight that they cut off their own blood supply and the resultant waste product builds up, irritates the nerve endings causing more contraction and so on. SWT reverses this cycle, releasing the trigger point and giving you that much needed relief.
What benefits can you expect?
Shockwave Therapy has been shown to be effective in the following
If you’re not sure, contact your Physioflexx Physiotherapist who will be more than happy to discuss through the options available to you. https://physioflexxayrshire.co.uk/contact
Alternatively, the following websites are great for any additional information you would like to know, along with some evidence-based research papers that show the benefits of SWT in practice.
