Shockwave Therapy

What is shockwave therapy?

Shockwave therapy is the delivery of low-energy acoustic pressure waves into the body using a special device that looks much like an ultrasound wand. These pressure waves “wake up” the tissue in the area where they’re applied, which in turn stimulates healing. 

Shockwave therapy is a noninvasive treatment, with no needles or incisions. The pressure waves pass through your skin without causing any damage. 

What conditions does shockwave therapy treat?

Shockwave therapy is a very flexible type of technology that treats everything from kidney stones to foot and ankle issues like plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. 

Those soft tissue injuries respond to shockwave therapy because the waves trigger:

• Improved circulation around the injury, which promotes faster healing
• Stimulation of the growth of new blood vessels for increased healing power
• Faster cellular renewal, leading to the repair and regrowth of connective tissues
• Stimulation of painful nerve endings, disabling them and lessening pain
• Breaksdown scar tissue leading to greater mobility

Shockwave therapy is sometimes prescribed for other foot and ankle issues. For example, some studies show that shockwave therapy may stimulate bone healing in slow-healing and nonhealing bone fractures. 

In those situations, the waves jumpstart the production of osteoblasts (bone cells) to repair the fracture. 

What is the shockwave therapy process like?

Shockwave therapy can take as little as 15-30 minutes, based on your individual treatment needs. You won’t have too many restrictions on your activity afterward, and should be relatively pain free without restrictions.

Treatment is generally well tolerated, but you may have some minor discomfort. That’s actually a sign of the shockwaves doing their work, so a bit of discomfort can be a positive sign.  You may need a series of shockwave therapy sessions for optimal results. 

The office of Dr. Daniel Geller provides compassionate podiatric care using the most innovative therapies. To learn more about shockwave therapy, call the office nearest you or click the online appointment maker to book a consultation now.