What Is Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy and How Can It Help Me?

Chronic pain is an increasingly common medical problem for women and men, becoming more common with age. The good news: Today, there are noninvasive therapies that can help relieve pain and promote natural healing.

Barbara Adonis, DC, and Heather Previll, PT, DPT, help patients at Easy Reach Chiropractic find relief for both chronic and acute types of pain, offering an array of safe, effective therapies, including extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). If you’re dealing with uncomfortable pain, learn how ESWT works and how it can help you feel better.

The science behind extracorporeal shockwave therapy

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy uses a special device to administer waves of energy at specific frequencies to a specific part of your body. The use of ESWT in medicine began about 40 years ago as a therapy to treat larger kidney stones, and it’s still being used by urologists as a kidney stone treatment today, gently breaking up stones so they can be passed via urination.

Today, ESWT is also routinely used to treat pain. The energy waves released during therapy create tiny areas of “controlled injury” that stimulate natural healing responses, helping your body repair itself after traumatic injuries or injuries from overuse or repetitive use.

ESWT works by improving circulation at the site of an injury, removing waste byproducts and reducing inflammation while delivering oxygen, nutrients, and other substances needed for tissue healing. It also helps your body produce more collagen, a special protein fiber that plays an essential role in tissue healing. Even though your body activates natural healing responses on its own, ESWT enhances healing and recovery by ramping up those responses and focusing them directly at the site of injury.

How ESWT can help you

ESWT is noninvasive, delivering energy waves through your skin. That makes it a good solution for people who want to avoid surgery as well as those who can’t have surgery for medical reasons.

It’s also an ideal therapy for anyone leading an active life and for people suffering from both acute and chronic pain problems, like sore joints. In fact, extracorporeal shockwave therapy is so effective, it’s used to treat an array of issues, including:

• Tendonitis
• Foot and heel pain, including plantar fasciitis
• Neuropathy
• Soft tissue injuries
• Tennis elbow or golf elbow
• Shoulder pain
• Joint stiffness and pain
• Delayed fracture healing
• Scar tissue buildup (adhesions)
• Tender trigger points
• Neck and back pain

Our team also uses a type of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (called extracorporeal pulse activation technology or EPAT) to help reduce the appearance of cellulite, those annoying, lumpy fat deposits that give your skin a “cottage-cheese-like” appearance.

Following ESWT, it’s normal for the treatment site to be a little sore temporarily, but there’s no downtime. That means it can be a good option even for people with exceptionally busy schedules. 

Plus, it works well on its own and in conjunction with other treatments, like physical therapy. It can also be repeated as needed to achieve the level of relief you need for optimal function and health.

Learn more about ESWT

ESWT is a versatile therapy that can help many people recover more quickly and get back to the active lifestyle you enjoy. To find out if it’s a good choice for you, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Easy Reach Chiropractic in Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, today.