What are the benefits of shock wave therapy?
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is the application of Shock Waves in medicine. It is clinically proven that pressure of waves, when applied to injured tissues, stimulate metabolic reactions:
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Reduction of pain felt by nerve fibres.
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Increase of blood circulation in surrounding soft tissues.
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Beginning of healing process triggered by stem cell activation.
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How does it work?
This activates the C nerve fibres and releases a specific substance (substance P) in the tissue as well as in the spinal cord. This substance is responsible for causing slight discomfort during and after the shock wave treatment. However, with prolonged activation, C nerve fibres become incapable for some time of releasing substance P and causing pain.
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Less substance P in the tissue leads to reduced pain, but there is more: less substance P also causes so-called neurogenic inflammation to decline.
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A decline in neurogenic inflammation may in turn foster healing - together with the release of growth factors and the activation of stem cells in the treated tissue.
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Not all shock waves are the same.
We have an EMS DolorClast® Radial Shock Wave machine. Studies have shown that this machine delivers up to 200% more energy density than competing devices at frequencies of 15Hz above and maximum pressure. The more energy delivered into the tissue the better the therapeutic outcome.
34/62 Randomised controlled trials used this brand of ESWT.
