Shockwave therapy may sound intimidating, but it has helped thousands of athletes recover from injury.
Many competing at the highest level have also benefitted from the treatment.
In 2014, British Olympian and marathon runner Aly Dixon was forced to drop out of that year’s Commonwealth Games after falling victim to Achilles tendinopathy, a condition that arises when a tendon fails to adapt to constant strain.
However, everything changed after undergoing shockwave therapy. Two years later she became Britain’s fastest-ever women’s winner of the London Marathon and in 2019 emerged victorious at the 50km world champs in Romania.
But what exactly is shockwave therapy?
Essentially it is a non-invasive treatment modality used for many bone and soft tissue disorders. It is often used when conservative management has not improved a patient’s symptoms.
That said, it can also be implemented as a first response to specific conditions.
Ultra Sports Clinic senior physiotherapist Jack Ingram explains that to conduct this treatment, a hand-held probe is used to distribute high energy sound waves towards the irritated tissue or bone. This extracorporeal shock wave is produced through a concentrated impulse that targets the painful site often creating immediate pain relief.
A small amount of gel is applied to the skin and the shockwave probe is lightly pressed against the skin to begin delivering the impulses. Each treatment usually lasts between five and 15 minutes. No anaesthetic is required, as most people would consider the treatment “uncomfortable” rather than painful.
“If we go by current literature, the use of shockwave therapy reduces the quantity of nerve fibres that transmit painful impulses, resulting in a reduced pain response,” Jack says.
“Subsequently, this process increases the formation of new blood vessels and the tissue regeneration of tendons and bones for tissue repair.”
Shockwave therapy can treat many ailments, the most common being plantar fasciitis, greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), proximal hamstring tendinopathy, Achilles tendinopathy and elbow tendinopathies (golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow).
It can also be used to treat fractures that have failed to heal, including displaced fractures, non-union fractures and stress fractures.
The duration of treatment will vary depending on the source of pain, Jack says.
“However, it is suggested that the treatment be carried out once a week for a period of three to six weeks. Most evidence-based protocols would suggest that each treatment is completed within five to 10 days of the previous one.”
He says improvements in pain reduction and functionality generally occur within three to 12 weeks after treatment, with studies showing that benefits persist for up to two years compared to placebo treatments.
The best results are usually seen among patients younger than 60 who show symptoms for less than a year.
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