Shockwave Therapy
How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?
LV Physiotherapy in St. Catharines is offering its newest modality, Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), which uses acoustic waves to speed up the body’s natural healing process. It does this by stimulating increased blood flow and metabolic activity to regenerate damaged tissue including tendons, bones and other soft tissues. Strong energy pulses (sound waves) are applied to the affected area through a handpiece. These pulses occur for short periods, creating micro-cavitation bubbles that expand and burst. The force created by these bubbles penetrates tissue and stimulates cells in the body that are responsible for bone and connective tissue healing. Treatment has been proven to help with multiple insertional tendinopathy conditions with 84-91% success rate.
*No Doctors Referral is Required
Benefits of Shockwave Therapy
The benefits of Shockwave Therapy are often felt after just 1 or 2 treatment sessions. Shockwave therapy is non-invasive, decreases pain and helps to restore full mobility, therefore improving your function and quality of life. It can be used in conjunction with other therapies and does not require any downtime from your activities such as work or sports.
In most cases, 3-6 visits are required. There are minimal side effects of Shockwave Therapy and treatment is covered through private health-care insurance.
What Does Shockwave Therapy Treat?
Shockwave Therapy is highly effective and has become a gold standard for a variety of conditions including:
- Plantar Fasciitis/ Heel Spur
- Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow)
- Patellar Tendonitis (Jumper’s Knee)
- ITB Friction Syndrome/ Hip Pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Bursitis
- Shin Splints
- Rotator Cuff Injuries/ Shoulder tendinitis
- Scar Tissue
- Chronic Stress Fractures (Non-union fractures)/ enhancement of bone healing
- Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)
- Calcific Tendonitis (supraspinatus tendon, etc.)
- Hamstring Tendinopathy
- Frozen Shoulder
- Chronic Muscle Tears/Muscle Tension/Trigger Points
How does Shockwave Differ from Ultrasound?
A shockwave differs from ultrasound by its extremely large pressure amplitude. Additionally, ultrasound usually consists of a periodic oscillation, whereas a shockwave is a single pulse. The shockwave peak pressure is approximately 1000 times greater than the peak pressure of an ultrasound wave.
Are there any Contraindications & Precautions?
Shockwave Therapy should not be used if there is a circulation or nerve disorder, infection, bone tumor or a metabolic bone condition. Shockwave Therapy should also not be used if there are any open wounds or tumors or during pregnancy. People with a pacemaker, using blood-thinning medications or those with severe circulatory disorders are not eligible for this treatment. Please speak to our practitioner if you are unsure about whether you can receive this treatment or not.
Contact
5-274 Fourth Ave, St. Catharines, ON L2S 0B6
(905) 682-5119
lvphysiotherapy@gmail.com
Open Hours
Mon-Thu: 8 am-7 pm
Friday: 8 am-2 pm