Shockwave therapy started by breaking kidney stones. Now, it's used for healing, managing pain and recovering from conditions such as frozen shoulder, knee osteoarthritis and plantar fasciitis. This therapy uses acoustic sound waves. It helps heal and repair tissues without surgery. More people are trying this therapy to feel better and get back to pain free activities and hobbies.
Key Takeaways
- Shockwave therapy utilizes sound waves for healing damaged or injured tissues, cartilage and joint arthritis.
- This non-invasive treatment is expanding beyond kidney stones to various medical fields including orthopedic doctors, physical therapists and chiropractors.
- Growing in popularity, you can easily find local shockwave treatment options near you, most providers are chiropractic doctors, medical doctors or sports medicine specialists.
- Consider shockwave therapy as a potential pain management and healing solution.
- Explore advanced technology that might revolutionize your approach to pain relief.
Understanding the Basics of Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy is a cool way to treat injuries without surgery, pain medicine or pain shots. It uses sound energy to stimulate the body to heal itself. It's great because it works quickly, it is very safe and there are no side effects.
What is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy uses strong sound waves that penetrate the injured area through ultrasound gel. These waves go through your skin and target the problem area to help it heal and repair; it uses very strong sound wave pulses in which the intensity can be altered depending on the phase of the shockwave therapy protocol.
How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?
Shockwave therapy increases blood flow and reduces inflammation in the area that is being treated. This helps bring in nutrients and clean out bad toxins from your tissues. It speeds up your body's repair process.
The Science Behind Shockwave Therapy
Advanced shockwave therapy boosts your cell’s ability to heal and repair. It makes them produce healing compounds that helps rebuild tissue when it's damaged. Studies show it can make healing quicker for conditions such as arthritis and tendonitis.
Here's how shockwave therapy compares to other ways of treating problems:
| Treatment Option |
Invasiveness |
Recovery Time |
Effectiveness |
| Traditional Surgery |
High |
Weeks to Months |
Moderate to High |
| Physical Therapy |
Low |
Variable |
Moderate |
| Advanced Shockwave Therapy |
Non-Invasive |
Days to Weeks |
High |
Benefits of Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy has many good benefits. It's great for pain relief, accelerates healing, it is non-surgical, healing time is minimal, reduces inflammatory conditions and helps patients be able to do the things they love to do like pickleball, going to the gym, hiking, gardening and playing catch with their kids.
Pain Relief and Management
It's fantastic at easing pain and discomfort, patients often notice immediate improvement even after the first session. Shockwave therapy sends targeted sound waves to areas of injury like knees, shoulders, hips, wrists and feet. This lowers pain and actually promotes healing and repair so most patients will not have to rely on taking strong pain medicine or muscle relaxers for long periods of time.
Enhanced Healing Process
This therapy boosts how fast the body heals by recruiting existing stem cells that are in the area. It gets more blood and oxygen to the injured area to repairs cells, tissue and cartilage. This helps with lots of issues like tendonitis or plantar fasciitis. It can make getting better faster and smoother.
Non-Invasive Treatment Option
It's not surgery. No cuts or going under are needed. This means less risk and time off. People can get back to their daily life quickly. So, it's a popular choice for many.
Common Conditions Treated with Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy can help many medical problems. It's great for stopping pain and helping people heal. A lot of folks go to a shockwave therapy clinic for things like plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, and shoulder tendinitis. These are common issues that do well with this care.
Do you have plantar fasciitis? It's when your heels hurt a lot. Shockwave therapy can make this pain much better. If you're dealing with tennis elbow, or pain in your outer elbow, this therapy can help too. Even shoulder tendinitis, an issue with your shoulder tendons, gets better with the right care from an experienced shockwave therapist.
Many folks prefer choices that don't need surgery. They find help at shockwave therapy clinics. The therapists know a lot about this treatment. They've helped many people get better. The success stories show that shockwave therapy works for a lot of conditions.
| Condition |
Symptoms |
Beneficial Outcomes |
| Plantar Fasciitis |
Heel pain, especially in the morning |
Reduced pain, improved mobility |
| Tennis Elbow |
Pain and tenderness on the outer elbow |
Alleviated pain, increased strength in elbow |
| Shoulder Tendinitis |
Shoulder pain, difficulty moving the arm |
Decreased inflammation, better range of motion |
Going to a shockwave therapy clinic is a smart move for those with ongoing pain. With the right therapist, you can heal better and live without pain.
Finding Shockwave Therapy Near Me
Looking for a clinic that does advanced shockwave therapy techniques is now easier. Use online directories for medical services. They are designed to help you locate the latest technology for local shockwave treatment.
Consulting healthcare providers or specialists can also be helpful. They can recommend clinics that use advanced shockwave therapy techniques. These clinics have experts who give great care.
Reading what past patients say can also guide you. Their reviews can tell you how effective the local shockwave treatment is. It also shows what the patient experience is like.
It's important to check the clinic's credentials and equipment. They should have the latest technology for your therapy to be successful. These steps will point you in the right direction for your shockwave therapy needs.
What to Expect During Your First Shockwave Therapy Session
Your first shockwave therapy session is a big step towards getting better. You can feel peaceful and more comfortable if you know what's coming. Shockwave therapy is fairly new; it is by far the healing wave of the future for any doctor doing sports medicine or interested in healing extremity injuries like frozen shoulder, tendonitis and knee osteoarthritis.
Initial Consultation
At the start, you'll talk about your health history and current symptoms. This chat is key, the doctor wants to know how this injury or condition is affecting your daily life; what are you not able to do right now that you really love to do, because of the pain. The doctor or chiropractor will walk you through the therapy, clear away any doubts, and paint a real picture of what to expect as far as treatment outcomes and meeting your goals. Shockwave therapy works well to not only get rid of pain, but it really gets patients back to doing what they love to do pain free, like hiking, gardening, traveling, pickleball, going to the gym, playing with their grand kids or going to the gym.
The Treatment Process
You get hit with strong acoustic waves during the treatment, it will last less than 5 minutes and you will certainly feel some irritation in the areas that you have more inflammation. A top-notch shockwave provider has the best technology, Kingwood Chiropractic uses the StemWave machine because it works best to help regenerate damaged tissues and cartilage. Depending on the severity of your injury; the intensity of the soundwaves may differ; it is up to your doctor to provide the right intensity and most likely increase intensity as the treatment protocol goes on.
Aftercare and Recovery
After the treatment your therapist or chiropractor gives you recommendations on what you need to do. How fast you bounce back varies, most patients feel improvement after each visit; there is a cumulative effect meaning each treatment builds on the prior one. Things just get better over time, healing and repair of tissues happens over time of getting rid of the inflammation and improving circulation and oxygenation to the area. The key for patients, says Dr. Hamel, is to not irritate their condition, if they are feeling better after the treatment is does not mean their knee or shoulder is fixed and they have to be careful not to overdo it. One of the main benefits of ESWT is that there is no down time; you are not laid up on the couch for 6-8 weeks; you are able to move and be active as long as you are not irritating the area.
Choosing the Right Shockwave Therapy Clinic
Finding the right shockwave therapy clinic is key, you need something that is fairly close to where you live because the initial phase of shockwave therapy requires sessions that are two times per week. Look for an experienced provider, talk to people around your community to see who they recommend, read reviews from google and other social media platforms to see what patients are saying about their shockwave therapy experience.
Qualities of an Experienced Shockwave Therapist
A good shockwave therapist has lots of training and is certified in the procedure. Chiropractors and orthopedic doctors are great because they are very experienced in seeing patients with muscle and joint problems. Dr. Hamel recommends asking the provider how experienced they are at treating your condition. At Kingwood Chiropractic, they have seen a lot of success and positive treatment outcomes for chronic shoulder pain, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee pain and plantar fasciitis .
What Patients Are Saying-Shockwave Therapy Reviews
For Kingwood Chiropractic, Dr. Hamel has invested in StemWave shockwave therapy to help his patients, especially those patients with chronic shoulder pain, knee pain and plantar fascia tendinitis. He used to use manual therapies and chiropractic care to treat these injuries but it would seem to take forever; some patients coming in with frozen shoulder took over 6 months to get better; it was frustrating for the patients and for the doctor. It seemed like for chronic extremity pain conditions there had to be something more effective and getting patients better quicker. The shockwave therapy works way faster, says Dr. Hamel, the waves can penetrate deeply into the muscle and joints; unlike anything that chiropractic or physical therapy can do. Here is a testimonial from a patient doing shockwave therapy for a tennis injury:
"I’ve seen Dr. Hamel previously for neck and back pain, he fixed me up pretty good. Lately I had been suffering with rotator cuff problems in my left shoulder from playing tennis, and a sprained ankle. I didn’t really want to take medicine or get any kind of pain shots, so I was looking for something different. One of my friends recommended shockwave therapy, I looked it up, and Dr. Hamel was the only one in the Kingwood area providing shockwave treatments. I’ve been going in getting shockwave therapy 2x/week for about 6 weeks and my pain has decreased significantly. The shockwave therapy is not painful and helped me stay on the tennis court during my recovery. I have full range of motion in my swing without tightness/pain. My friends and I definitely recommend Dr. Hamel and his shockwave treatments for anyone suffering with shoulder pain, knee pain, ankle pain or plantar fasciitis; it just works!! There isn’t another therapy like this and no other doctors offer shockwave therapy in our north Houston area. Thanks again Dr. Hamel, I will be back in soon" CF- Kingwood, TX
Top-rated Shockwave Facilities
The best clinics and providers use the newest shockwave technology, Kingwood Chiropractic uses the latest version from StemWave which is providing patients the care and results they are looking for. Like with any doctor, trust is a big thing; ask patients who have already done shockwave therapy or read reviews online; you want to go to a top-rated shockwave facility that is getting good results, where the patients are happy and praising the treatment.
Affordable Shockwave Sessions
Finding affordable shockwave therapy is important too. Luckily, many good clinics have prices that fit different budgets, in the Houston area the average for a shockwave therapy session is $125. Some offices have ways to pay over time or take insurance so that can save you a little bit of money. Watch for offices providing prices that are too good to be true; you might get a good deal but not get the exact therapy you are looking for. The two main companies providing shockwave therapy are StemWave and SoftWave; these machines cost over $60K and this is why certified providers are charging anywhere from $100-$150 per visit. You can probably buy your own shockwave therapy device online for $300 but it is not the same thing, be smart and do your research.
FAQ
What is shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy uses sound waves to heal and repair damaged or injured tissues. It helps with many injuries and conditions, plus it avoids the need for surgery. Most people who have chronic knee pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain and foot pain are seeking out shockwave therapy as a means to avoid surgery, they don't want to be down for 6-8 months and have to take pain medicine every day.
How does shockwave therapy work?
It sends strong sound waves that penetrate deep into the area that needs repair; like your knee or shoulder. These waves improve blood flow, bring in more oxygen and eliminate inflammation, which all combined help to heal the area. This leads to less pain and faster recovery and this is what patients want, they want to be active and pain free.
What conditions can be treated with shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy helps with plantar fasciitis, golfer's elbow, shoulder tendinitis, bone on bone knee pain, osteoarthritis, Achilles tendonitis and more. Because of its ability to accelerate healing and repair, it is good for both acute injuries and longer-term chronic conditions. By using soundwaves this healing therapy bypasses the need for surgery or taking medicine daily.
Is shockwave therapy painful?
At most, you'll feel light discomfort, in the areas where you have the most inflammation you are supposed to feel some agitation; this means oxygen and circulation are getting to the area of concern. As the treatments go on there will be less and less pain because the inflammation is driven out of the area with each shockwave therapy session.
How many shockwave therapy sessions will I need?
The first phased of shockwave therapy is to get rid of the inflammation; this usually takes around 6-8 weeks. Each patient will be given a specific treatment protocol to help get them better and help them reach their goals. Patients who just want to get out of pain will require less sessions compared with a patient who wants to get back competing in pickleball tournaments or the cross-fit games. The 3 phases of shockwave therapy are pain relief, regenerative therapy and full repair/no restrictions.
What should I expect during my first shockwave therapy session?
Your doctor will do an exam and consultation, ask you questions about your injury, how long you have been dealing with it and how it is affecting your daily life, activities or hobbies. At Kingwood Chiropractic, they do a thermal scan to identify areas of severe inflammation, then you will get you first shockwave therapy treatment, followed by another thermal scan to see changes in inflammation. After this initial visit, our patients, says Dr. Hamel, are feeling improvement anywhere from 5-20%; it is quite miraculous. From this point the doctor will recommend a treatment plan to get you pain free and active again, whether that is to be able to garden or to travel around the world and see the sights.
How can I find a shockwave therapy clinic near me?
Search google or online for "shockwave therapy near me." Find places with good reviews and experienced staff. Shockwave therapy is a pretty new treatment so make sure to read reviews from google, Facebook and other social media platforms. See if you have a friend or coworker in the Kingwood or Houston, Texas area who has experienced shockwave therapy and get their opinion on who to go see.
Are shockwave therapy sessions affordable?
Shockwave therapy is much more cost effective than surgeries and pain injections. The cost is affordable to any patients who wants to get better and pain free; they will invest money and time into these sessions to get better instead of paying for surgery or medications. The average cost of a shockwave therapy session in the Houston area is $125, if you buy packages of visits some offices will offer a discount. People pay thousands of dollars to get plastic surgery and tooth implants; for any type of medical procedures people are willing to pay for their desired outcome; to look better, to fix a tooth or in the case of shockwave therapy; to be able to do the thing, activities, and hobbies you love to do without pain.
