Our New Tool to Help You Get Better: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Maybe you have heard of it, but we are very excited to announce that we are offering this therapy in our clinics. After reading all the studies, we are confident that this will help you achieve your goal: no pain when you walk. The Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy is a new technology that revolutionises how we help you with pain associated with the inflammation of the injured foot. Not only it works well, the therapy also takes less time. But we do recommend that you do the full six sessions, with two days apart in between treatments.
What is it in a nutshell
Generally, the ESWT used in muscular conditions uses lower- energy sound waves, which delivers a mechanical force to the tissues. Hence, location of the pain or injury is a point of consideration for suitability. Other contraindications are pregnancy, people who have poor sensation on their feet, and people who have heart issues. During the treatment session, the shock wave may cause the area to hurt and become more sensitive for a short time.
If you are short for time, and you are a good candidate for the extracorporeal shock wave therapy that we are offering, you will be happy to know that this is a 10 minute procedure. This is a quick in and out procedure, where you can walk out of the clinic after having treatment. Some studies deduces that ESWT is promoting inflammation pathway to trigger the body to heal itself, and advises caution in using anti- inflammatory medications.
Is It For You?
Shock wave therapy is an outpatient procedure. A probe is placed on the skin after a gel is applied to help conduct the shock waves. High- or low-energy waves may be used. High-energy waves may cause pain and require a local or regional anaesthetic. Rest assured that our machine uses low-energy shock wave, so that your therapy session is done without anaesthesia. Therapy is more successful with active patient participation where the patient tells the therapist whether or not the probe is at the area of pain. One or more treatment sessions may be needed.
ESWT uses shock waves to generate a mechanical pounding, which triggers the body to start the inflammation pathway. The pathway triggers the body to increase blood flow to the area, and tells the body to start repairing the injury. Hence, you may feel some discomfort after the first session, although you can also feel some relief after.
If you are interested, give us a call or email.
Reference:
Cayton, Thomas et al. “Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for the Treatment of Lower Limb Intermittent Claudication: Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial (the SHOCKWAVE 1 Trial).” Trials 18 (2017): 104. PMC. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.
Lee, Su-Jin et al. “Dose-Related Effect of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis.” Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine 37.3 (2013): 379–388. PMC. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.