Shockwave therapy, also known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy, isn’t nearly as scary as it sounds. This treatment uses acoustic sound waves to gently assist the body in regenerating new tissue after an injury. It can also help decrease pain by stimulating the nerves directly around the injury. Shockwave therapy is not supposed to be painful and is only mildly uncomfortable for most people.
The goal of shockwave therapy is to increase circulation around the injury, stimulate the cells to help generate new cells and tissue, promote healing, and reduce pain by targeting the nerve endings of the injured area.
9 possible side effects of shockwave therapy
While shockwave therapy is not supposed to be painful, there are still side effects that can occur during and after treatment. Because this technique is treating injured tissue, your body may be more sensitive to treatment. The following are nine side effects that you might experience from a shockwave therapy treatment:
- Slight bruising
- Skin discoloration
- Mild swelling
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Dizziness
- Throbbing
- Inflammation
- Nerve irritation
These side effects should be mild; if any of them are severe or concerning, please contact your health care provider.
What does shockwave therapy treat?
Shockwave therapy is useful for a number of different conditions because its main purpose is to encourage tissue to regenerate and heal. This can help with anything from conditions caused by overuse and repetition all the way to long-term disorders and injuries. Here are some examples:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Fractures
- Golfer’s elbow
- Hamstring injuries
- Jumper’s knee
- Lower back pain
- Medial tibial stress syndrome
- Muscle strains
- Myofascial pain syndromes and trigger points
- Osteoarthritis
- Patellar tendinopathy
- Plantar fasciitis
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Scar tissue
- Sciatica
- Shin splints
- Shoulder tendinopathy
- Tendinopathy
- Tendinitis
- Tennis elbow
If you think a condition you have may benefit from shockwave therapy, our team at REPAIR SI would be happy to assist you. Our experts are well versed in a number of different physical therapy tools and treatments that can help with a variety of conditions. If you’re interested in checking out shockwave therapy, contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.