Despite the name, shockwave therapy doesn't involve an electrical shock.

Shockwave therapy uses acoustic waves directed into targeted areas of the body. It's a noninvasive treatment used for a variety of musculoskeletal problems, particularly stubborn problems involving tendons and other soft tissues.

At Advocate Wellness, we use shockwave therapy as one of the tools available when pain, tightness or an injury isn't responding the way we'd like.

How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?

During treatment, a handheld device delivers repeated acoustic pulses into the targeted tissue.

You’ll hear and feel the device working. The intensity and treatment settings can be adjusted depending on the area being treated and what we're trying to accomplish.

Exactly how shockwave therapy produces its effects is still being studied. Research suggests that the mechanical stimulation produced by shockwave therapy can trigger biological responses within the treated tissue that may influence pain, circulation and tissue repair.

In practical terms, the goal is simple: encourage a stubborn area to respond and help create a better environment for recovery.

What Is Shockwave Therapy Used For?

Shockwave therapy has been studied for a number of musculoskeletal conditions, with some of the better-known applications involving persistent tendon and soft-tissue problems.

These include:

• Plantar fasciitis and persistent heel pain

• Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow

• Certain shoulder and rotator cuff problems

• Achilles and other tendon problems

• Some types of knee pain

• Chronic muscular and myofascial pain

At Advocate Wellness, we may also use shockwave therapy alongside chiropractic care when persistent muscle and soft-tissue tension is contributing to a patient's pain or making movement uncomfortable.

It isn't the right treatment for every condition or every patient. That's why determining what is actually contributing to the problem comes first.

What Does Shockwave Treatment Feel Like?

During treatment, the applicator is positioned over the area being addressed and delivers a series of rapid pulses.

Some areas may be considerably more sensitive than others, particularly when we're working over already irritated tissue.

Treatment intensity can be adjusted based on the location and your tolerance. The goal isn't to see how much discomfort you can withstand. It's to deliver an appropriate treatment to the area we're trying to address.

Some people notice a change in pain or movement relatively quickly. Others may need a series of treatments before noticing meaningful improvement.

Your response depends on the condition being treated, how long it has been present and a number of other individual factors.

Why Combine Shockwave With Chiropractic Care?

Pain isn't always coming from one structure.

A painful shoulder, for example, may involve the joint, surrounding muscles and tendons, movement patterns or a combination of factors. Persistent low-back pain can be similarly complicated.

That's one reason we don't automatically use the same treatment for everyone who points to the same painful spot.

Chiropractic adjustments may be used when joint movement is part of the problem. Shockwave therapy may be added when we also want to address surrounding soft tissues.

Other approaches may be appropriate depending on what we find.

The point isn't to use every tool available. It's to use the ones that make sense for the person standing in front of us.

Is Shockwave Therapy Safe?

Shockwave therapy is noninvasive and generally well tolerated when appropriately used. Temporary soreness, redness, swelling or bruising can occur after treatment.

There are also situations in which shockwave therapy may not be appropriate, which is another reason an evaluation should come before treatment.

When Pain Just Won't Settle Down

Some musculoskeletal problems improve quickly with time, movement and basic care.

Others don't.

That nagging elbow that still hurts months later. The heel pain that's waiting for you every morning. The shoulder that keeps limiting what you can do. The same muscular pain that repeatedly settles down and then returns.

Those are the kinds of persistent problems that may warrant another look.

Shockwave therapy gives us another nonsurgical, noninvasive option to consider when developing a plan to help you move more comfortably and get back to doing the things you want to do.