Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that stimulates the body’s natural healing process.
It can relieve pain and promote healing of injured tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues. It accomplishes this by releasing growth factors in the injured tissue. Shockwave therapy is sometimes referred to as EPAT, or extracorporeal pulse activation technology.
Shockwave therapy is a type of regenerative medicine (also known as an orthobiologic therapy). It is used to treat tendinopathy as well as difficult-to-heal ligament injuries. Some degenerative tendinopathies have an associated buildup of calcium in the tendon. Focused shock waves can break those deposits up.
The treatment can also promote healing after orthopedic surgery — for instance, if a hip impingement has damaged tendons and ligaments around the hip. Surgery may correct the hip impingement, but after years of overworking and degeneration because of the impingement, the surrounding tendons often remain painful. Shockwave therapy can be used to address this secondary issue.
Shockwave therapy is typically administered by a sports medicine physician or athletic trainer with a physician’s supervision. An athlete’s doctor typically has a detailed understanding of their health history. Athletic trainers have deep knowledge in the anatomy of joints, tendons, and ligaments and common patterns of sports injury.
During treatment, the clinician holds a shockwave device next to the skin. The device sends shockwaves into the injured tissues, stimulating increased blood flow and growth hormones to the area, promoting new tissue growth.
There are two types of shockwave therapy.
Usually, patients receive both types:
- Focused shockwave therapy sends waves into a small area.
- Radial shockwave therapy delivers shockwaves over a broader area, for instance, along the length of an injured tendon.
Shockwave therapy may be used to:
- Increase circulation around injured soft tissues
- Break down calcified deposits (like kidney stones)
- Stimulate cells that generate new bone tissue and connective tissue
- Reduce pain by overstimulating nerve endings in the affected area