What is Radial Shockwave Therapy?
Radial Shockwaves are acoustic pressure waves that generate oscillations in the tissue. The wave hits the body at skin surface and from there travels radially into the body up to 5-6 cm depth. In the body, the pressure waves stimulate metabolic activity and the body’s intrinsic healing mechanism.
What are RPW Shockwaves and how do they work?
Radial shockwaves are introduced into the body by means of a freely moved applicator and cover the entire pain region. Radial shockwaves are often referred to as radial pressure waves, which is the correct definition in physical terms.
The pathological association between pain and muscle tone and vascular tone is broken as a result of shock wave therapy and the strong stimuli it produces, thus enabling natural movement patterns to be remembered and recalled.
Effects of Radial Shockwave Therapy on the Body:
- Increase blood flow and formation of new blood vessels
- Pro-inflammatory effect: “reboot” the healing process in chronic conditions
- Stimulate proliferation of tendon cells resulting in tendon regeneration and remodelling
- Disintegrate tendon calcifications
- Smooth trigger points (hard knots in a muscle)
- Reduce muscle hypertonia and spasticity
- Decrease pain
Indications for Radial Shockwave Therapy (pictures as attached)
- Tendon pathologies
- Hamstrings
- Achilles tendon
- Patellar tendon
- Shoulder ‘rotator cuff’
- Frozen shoulder
- Calcifications
- Tennis Elbow
- Carpal Tunnel syndrome
- Chronic neck pain
- Low back pain
- Muscle hypertonia
- Hip pain
- Shin pain (‘splints’)
- Plantar fasciitis
- Heel spur
- Cellulitis
Benefits of Radial Shockwave Therapy
- Short treatment time (minutes)
- Treat large areas
- Muscle massage with vibrating applicator
- Results in a few (1-5) treatments
- Non-invasive and no side effects