Shockwave Therapy

Shock that pain away!

Shockwave therapy is one of the newest injury repair innovations that is rapidly spreading through the country. Shockwaves are a natural phenomenon occurring in nature when lightning strikes or a plane exceeds the speed of sound. In medicine, it has been used to break up kidney stones without the need for surgery for 40 years. Over 25 years ago it was discovered that shockwaves could cause bones that wouldn’t heal to spontaneously heal again. Scientists realized that shockwaves, a special type of sound, were able to cause bone, tendon, ligament and other cells to regenerate and finish healing in even the oldest of chronic injuries.

Until then, injuries like plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, jumpers knee, hip bursitis, shin splints, stress fractures, calcific tendonitis deposits and others were often difficult to impossible to heal. Shockwave has emerged as one of the only treatments that reliably makes tendon to bone or ligament to bone junction injuries heal. The high-energy acoustic waves non-surgically penetrate the soft tissues, targeting damaged areas, stimulating new blood vessel growth and regeneration in bones, tendon and ligaments.

How does it work?

Shockwave therapy helps relieve your pain by sending acoustic waves into the affected tissue.  This sound wave sends high-energy waves into the affected tissue and promotes tissue regeneration and revascularization.  Those are two big words… what they mean are… the acoustic waves created by the shockwave machine can stimulate collagen production, dissolve calcium, reverse chronic inflammation, help foster tissue recovery via blood vessel formation thereby increasing circulation, tissue metabolism and bone strength.  That’s still pretty complicated… more simply, shockwave can help reduce and ultimately resolve your pain by providing accelerated tissue repair and growth, restoring mobility, and providing an analgesic effect to let you get back to your usual self and activities.

Who can benefit from the therapy?

Shockwave Therapy has shown to be effective in the treatment of the following conditions:

• All Tendon-to-Bone Junction Injuries
• Any Tendonitis & Tendonosis
• Plantar Fasciitis & Plantar Fasciosis
• Chronic Muscle Pain
• Trigger Points
• Tennis Elbow
• Calicific Tendinitis
• Rotator Cuff Injuries
• Bursitis
• Achilles Tendonopathy
• Jumpers Knee

 What should I expect?

Depending on the condition, you should expect to receive 5-8 treatments.  Prior to treatment, we advise patients to discontinue taking anti-inflammatories and/or using ice for 2-3 days.  The treatment itself lasts less than 15 minutes and takes place once a week.  Treatment is mildly uncomfortable for some but is short lasting and therefore tolerable.  Most patients feel relief following the first session and will have full resolution of the pain by the end of the treatment period.

Where can I get this treatment?

If you’re wondering about Shockwave Therapy or are suffering from an injury and frustrated with the treatment options you’ve been presented with, contact Langley Chiropractic and Wellness for a free consultation to see if Shockwave Therapy is an option for you. Call today at (604)882-0911.