Shockwave Therapy for Non-Surgical Pain Treatment
Speed up healing, reduce pain, and avoid any incision or medication with shockwave therapy for injuries or chronic pain.
Why Choose Shockwave Therapy?
It is a non-surgical and non-invasive treatment option.
There are no serious complications or risks associated with shockwave therapy.
No medication or anesthesia is required to get shockwave therapy.
It’s virtually painless. The intensity level is easy to adjust for comfort.
Studies prove it works, especially when paired with other therapies like acupuncture.
It helps with chronic pain in particular.
What is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy uses the force of sound waves to stimulate healing at a cellular level.
Think of shockwave therapy like a liquid band aid. It doesn’t disinfect the cut but it makes sure it heals correctly, and faster. No, shockwave therapy is not for cuts and scrapes! It is for after you get a neck or spine adjustment, or after you receive massage therapy. It doesn’t correct your spine but it speeds up the healing process for bones, joints, and tendons. It also reduces pain.
What Conditions Benefit From Shockwave Therapy?
There are so many conditions that can find greater relief with shockwave therapy. Some of the most common at KAC Clinic include:
Fractures
Neck and shoulder pain, including text neck
Back pain, including herniated discs
Auto accident injury, including whiplash
Knee and joint pain, including tendonitis, tendinosis, and seasonal aches
Golfer’s elbow, also called Medial Epicondylosis
Tennis elbow, also called Lateral Epicondylosis
Foot cramps, including plantar fasciitis
How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?
Many medical studies show how shockwave therapy helps your body heal. It can:
Improve cell health, because…
The pressure speeds up cells’ ability to let go of bad materials and receive good materials. It shakes your cells awake and into activity!
Speed up healing, because of…
Osteoblasts. These cells heal your bones. These cells get a burst of energy from shockwave therapy.
Fibroblasts. These cells heal your tendons and connective tissue. They get a boost in activity, too.
Break down tough tissue, because...
Damaged muscle and joint tissue that heals incorrectly can be stiff.
Stiffness can be from small empty pockets that form inside of tissue that doesn’t heal properly. It's like a hard sponge that was pulled apart.
Electroshock therapy pushes out the empty spaces that don’t belong. This allows the tissue to heal back better.
Reduce pain, because of…
Hyperstimulation anesthesia. In other words, electroshock gives the nerves so much activity that they get overwhelmed. Thus, they can’t read pain signals for a short time, creating a harmless, short-term anesthesia. It’s similar to pinching your earlobes before you get your ears pierced.
Gate-control mechanisms. This is a fancy way of saying that electroshock therapy encourages nerves to be less sensitive to pain over time. This is great for people with chronic pain.
What is Shockwave Therapy Like?
At KAC Clinic, we use The Miracle Wave®, which is one of the very best acoustic therapy machines available. Shockwave therapy with us looks like this:
You’ll sit down or lay down in a comfortable position.
The end of the shockwave wand will then rest on the area of your body that’s in pain. It looks very like a skinny round shower head.
The machine will turn on. The round disk will feel like it’s vibrating against the area, and it may feel like a mini massage.
You can tell the doctor if you’d like the intensity to go up or down. If you are uncomfortable or want more intensity, say so! It’s easy for the nurse or doctor to adjust during a session.
You’ll wait for 10-15 minutes.
The machine will turn off. Then Dr. Shin may apply another therapy, or you may finish, depending on your treatment plan.