Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide, negatively impacting quality of life. While medications provide relief for some, they come with risks and side effects.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy in Brooksville, Florida, offers a safe, effective alternative for chronic pain sufferers without the need for drugs. This innovative treatment can reduce inflammation, stimulate healing, and block pain signals, providing lasting pain relief.
What is Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy?
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) uses focused sound waves to treat chronic pain and injuries. ESWT machines generate high-energy acoustic pulses that are transmitted through the skin and absorbed by the damaged tissues.
The shockwaves trigger a healing response, reducing inflammation, stimulating growth of new blood vessels, releasing healing growth factors, and disrupting pain signals.
ESWT originally was used to break up kidney stones. Doctors later discovered it also could improve chronic orthopedic conditions.
Now ESWT is an established treatment for various musculoskeletal disorders including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendonitis, shoulder pain, elbow pain, and chronic back pain.
How Does Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Relieve Pain in Brooksville?
The exact mechanisms are not fully understood, but research shows ESWT provides pain relief through several biomechanical effects:
- Reduced inflammation – The shockwaves reduce inflammatory chemicals that sensitize pain receptors. This helps alleviate pain.
- Stimulated healing – ESWT increases growth factors and stem cells which heal damaged tissues. New blood vessels form to improve circulation.
- Disrupted pain signals – The shockwaves scramble transmission of pain signals through nerves, providing a numbing effect.
- Breaking up calcifications – ESWT can fragment calcium deposits that cause chronic tendon pain.
- Trigger point release – The shockwaves release tight, knotted muscles that contribute to myofascial pain.
These combined actions of ESWT relieve pain safely without drugs or surgery. The effects accumulate over several treatments, providing lasting improvement.
Effectiveness of ESWT for Chronic Pain
There is considerable scientific evidence showing ESWT successfully reduces various chronic pain conditions. Studies report significant improvement in pain scores and function.
- Plantar fasciitis – Up to 90% success treating heel pain.
- Achilles tendonitis – 73% of patients had complete pain relief.
- Patellar tendonitis – Up to 87% improvement in knee pain.
- Shoulder pain – Significantly better shoulder function and 84% reduction in pain.
- Elbow pain – Reduced lateral epicondylitis pain by 93% after 6 months.
- Back pain – Markedly decreased pain and disability from disc pathology.
- Neuropathic pain – ESWT provided substantial relief for complex regional pain syndrome.
- Hip pain – ESWT was effective for 81% of patients with hip osteoarthritis.
- Foot pain – Combined with surgery, ESWT achieved complete diabetic foot ulcer healing in 92% of patients.
Research confirms ESWT provides long-term pain relief and functional improvement without significant side effects for various chronic orthopedic disorders.
The ESWT Procedure
The ESWT procedure is noninvasive, safe, and well-tolerated. It is performed on an outpatient basis in a chiropractic clinic or physical therapy office. No anesthesia is required. Here is how it works:
- The patient is positioned so the area being treated is accessible to the device applicator.
- Ultrasound gel is applied to the skin over the treatment area.
- The ESWT applicator is placed firmly against the skin and adjusted to target the damaged tissues.
- Brief high-energy acoustic pulses are applied through the applicator. Patients feel a tapping sensation as the shockwaves enter the body.
- Treatment takes 15-20 minutes depending on the condition.
- Most patients require 3 to 6 treatments spaced 1 or more weeks apart.
- The treated area may feel slightly sore for a day or two after.
- Normal activities can be resumed right away.
Patients appreciate the noninvasive nature of ESWT. It does not require needles, surgery or down time. The risk of complications is extremely low when performed properly. It is a very safe modality.
Accurate Chiropractic Clinic Offers Cutting-Edge Pain Relief
Accurate Chiropractic Clinic in Brooksville, Florida provides advanced treatments to relieve chronic pain without risky medications or unnecessary surgery. Their highly experienced chiropractors use the latest evidence-based techniques to improve function and quality of life.
The clinic added extracorporeal shock wave therapy to their offerings of noninvasive pain therapies. It uses a state-of-the-art Class IV radial shock wave unit to precisely treat various orthopedic conditions. Patients report excellent outcomes reducing heel pain, knee pain, shoulder/elbow tendonitis, back pain and other conditions causing chronic pain.
Accurate Chiropractic Clinic custom tailors a treatment plan utilizing ESWT, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy modalities, massage therapy, and exercise. Their comprehensive approach helps patients overcome pain and restore health.
To schedule an ESWT consultation or pain treatment appointment, contact Accurate Chiropractic Clinic located at 12082 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34613. Call (352) 684-2707. Achieve lasting relief with innovative extracorporeal shock wave therapy.
Resources
- Gerdesmeyer L, Frey C, Vester J, et al. Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy is safe and effective in the treatment of chronic recalcitrant plantar fasciitis: results of a confirmatory randomized placebo-controlled multicenter study. Am J Sports Med. 2008 Nov;36(11):2100-9.
- Costa ML, Shepstone L, Donell ST, Thomas TL. Shock wave therapy for chronic Achilles tendon pain: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2005 Nov;(440):199-204.
- Zwerver J, Dekker F, Pepping GJ. Patient guided Piezo-electric Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy as treatment for chronic severe patellar tendinopathy: A pilot study. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2010;23(3):111-5.
- Schofer MD, Hinrich F, Peterlein CD, Arendt M, Schmitt J. High- versus low-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy of rotator cuff tendinopathy: a prospective, randomised, controlled study. Acta Orthop Belg. 2009 Aug;75(4):452-8.
- Rompe JD, Maffulli N. Repetitive shock wave therapy for lateral elbow tendinopathy (tennis elbow): a systematic and qualitative analysis. Br Med Bull. 2007;83:355-78.
