Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is a treatment method that introduces high energy sound waves into painful areas of the body. This results in pathological alterations of tendons, ligaments and muscles i.e. speeds tissue repair and cell growth, produces an analgesic effect and helps restore tissue mobility. Specific changes that occur include:
- new blood vessel formation
- reversal of chronic inflammation
- stimulation of collagen production
- breakdown of calcification in tissue
- trigger point release
Shockwave can help treat many conditions, includng plantar fasciitis, heel and arch pain, achilles tendon pain, calcific tendinosis/tendonitis, shin pain/tibial stress syndrome, patellar tendonitis, chronic neck, shoulder and back pain, muscle tension (trigger points), tennis elbow, and wound healing.
References:
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is effective in treating chronic plantar fasciitis: a meta-analysis of RCTs.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23813184
Management of chronic Achilles tendinopathy
http://dtb.bmj.com/content/50/8/93.abstract?sid=6ee020ee-77a1-4e3d-b1ca-5b0378651323
Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial evaluating the treatment of plantar fasciitis with an extracorporeal shockwave therapy devise: A North American confirmatory study.
Effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)