Radial Shockwave
What is Radial Shockwave (Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy or ESWT)?
Simply put it is directing intense Ultrasound shockwaves at damaged tissue which stimulates a healing response and eases pain. This increases blood flow and cellular metabolism in the treated area which promotes healing.
Effects Of Radial Shockwave Therapy On The Body
- Increases blood flow and formation of new blood vessels
- Smooths Trigger Points
- Pro-inflammatory effect: “reboots” the healing process in chronic conditions
- Stimulates tendon regeneration and remodeling
- Pain Relief
- Disintegrates tendon calcifications
- Reduces muscle hypertonia and spasticity
Benefits Of Shockwave Therapy
Short treatment
time (minutes)
Treat
large areas
Muscle massage with
vibrating applicator
Results in a few (1-5)
treatments
Non-invasive and
no side effects
Alternative to
medication
What can be treated with Radial Shockwave Therapy?
- Tendon pathologies
- Hamstrings
- Achilles tendon
- Patellar tendon
- Shoulder ‘rotator cuff’
- Frozen shoulder
- Calcific Tendinosis
- Tennis Elbow
- Carpal Tunnel syndrome
- Chronic neck pain
- Low back pain
- Muscle hypertonia
- Hip pain
- Shin pain (‘splints’)
- Plantar fasciitis
- Heel spur
Radial Shockwave FAQ’s
Low Frequency soundwaves in the form of a Shockwave are focused on the tissue to be treated.
RPW therapy has been shown to help improve pain in various musculoskeletal conditions.3-10
- Hip pain
- Shoulder pain
- Elbow pain
- Knee pain
- Achilles tendon pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Myofascial trigger points
- Disorder of tendon insertion
Radial pressure waves influence cellular activity by mechanotransduction, where the mechanical energy of an acoustic wave is converted into biochemical energy in the cell and extracellular matrix (1). RPW therapy is a pro-inflammatory modality which can be used to “reboot” the healing process in stalled, chronic (greater than 12 weeks duration) conditions that have failed to heal.
The following link gives a clear explanation of the physiological effects of treatment.
New blood vessel formation
Due to microtraumas caused by shockwave therapy, there is a significant increase in the expression of growth factors such as eNOS, VEGF, PCNS and BMP. These growth factors are involved in the process of neovascularization, where arterioles are stimulated to form and grow, which has a positive effect on improved blood supply, bone and tendon repair, and tissue regeneration (6).
Collagen production
Shockwave therapy stimulates procollagen synthesis, necessary for the repair of damaged musculoskeletal and ligament structures. It forces the newly created collagen fibers into a longitudinal structure, making the newly formed tendon fibers denser and stiffer, with a firmer structure (7).
Tenocyte proliferation
Shockwave therapy leads to an increase in transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β 1), which is known to regulate tendon repair (8).
Fibrotic tissue and scar remodelling
Shockwave therapy alters the expression of fibrosis-related molecules in fibroblasts, which affects scar remodelling and resorption1.
Osteoblast and osteoclast activity
Alongside TGF-β 1, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is also increased by shockwave therapy, and together they are influential in bone healing (1,9).
Analgesia
RPW therapy has a confirmed effect in improving the symptoms of pain (10).
Reducing hypertonia in spastic muscles
Both F-SW and RPW have been proven effective here (11), with RPW particularly effective in aiding increased range of movement (12).
Patients usually require 3-6 Treatment sessions. Each session costs $130 if private or an additional $45 if for an ACC accepted condition.