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Shockwave Therapy
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Shockwave Therapy FAQs
Get all of the answers to most common questions we receive about Orthopedic Shockwave Therapy.
Shockwave Therapy for Body Contouring
Learn more about how shockwave therapy can help enhance and support the effects of body contouring treatments.
Shockwave Therapy for Pain & Strain
Shockwave therapy can help break down calcified deposits, reduce the pain of plantar fasciitis, and increase circulation for sports injuries.
Orthopedic Shockwave Therapy In Montclair
Relieve Pain. Restore Mobility.
Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive procedure that delivers high-frequency, low-intensity acoustic waves to heal tissues, encourage cellular growth, eliminate cellulite, relieve pain, reduce inflammation, improve skin elasticity, regenerate collagen fibers, and restore mobility throughout the musculoskeletal system. Learn more about what makes this technique effective for injuries and who should consider it as a treatment.
Shockwave + Emsculpt NEO
Learn more about combining Shockwave Therapy and Emsculpt NEO for the best results on our blog.
Shockwave Therapy
Well In Montclair is one of the few providers of Shockwave therapy technology to the Montclair community. It’s often prescribed as a treatment for patients who have sports injuries like a golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, or pulled hamstring. It’s also administered to patients who experience pain or dysfunction in their soft tissues, such as that caused by calcific tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and issues related to the penis, such as erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease. Additionally, Shockwave improves the elasticity of the skin, improving the metabolism of the skin, enhancing cell regeneration, releasing fat cells, and increasing overall circulation and lymphatic drainage. This can be seen during aesthetic treatment of the skin in the area of cellulite and, when treating the face, during non-invasive facials.
How Does Shockwave Therapy Help?
Shockwave therapy, also known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy, is a non-invasive procedure that delivers high-frequency, low-intensity acoustic waves to connective tissue, fascia, tendons, or muscles through the skin using a small, handheld device that’s similar to an ultrasound wand. Shockwave therapy can help jump-start the body’s ability to heal tissues, encourage cellular growth, relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and restore mobility throughout the musculoskeletal system. It also decreases your pain by directly stimulating your nerves at the site of the injury.
Shockwave therapy may be used to:
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Reduce pain by overstimulating nerve endings in the affected area
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Stimulate cells that generate new bone tissue and connective tissue
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Increase circulation around injured soft tissues
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Break down calcified deposits associated with calcific tendonitis
Shockwave Therapy for Pain & Strain
Break Down Calcified Deposits
The management of calcific tendonitis typically starts with the use of NSAIDs, physical therapy, massage, and steroid injections. However, these treatments are not successful in approximately 25 percent of patients. Shockwave therapy has been shown to decrease pain and improve function in long-term sufferers of calcific tendonitis-related pain and has even generated “a reduction in pain and functional improvement with a significant clinical change” after only one week of treatment. The benefits are often enduring, with clinical studies demonstrating significant improvements in pain that lasted up to 12 months, and success rates of up to 92% even 12 months after treatment. Perhaps the most important finding is that shockwave therapy can decrease the size of calcium deposits, and in some cases completely eliminate the calcium deposits in the soft tissues of the joint. Although the mechanisms of action are unknown, shockwave therapy is thought to increase the production of both new blood vessels and new lymphatic vessels.
Reduce the Pain of Plantar Fasciitis
Approximately 2 million Americans experience pain due to plantar fasciitis, including approximately 30% of runners experiencing plantar fasciitis. Historically, heel-pain-suffers have been treated conservatively with rest, massage, stretching, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. However, shockwave therapy has been used as an "alternative treatment option for plantar fasciitis for decades due to its noninvasive nature, fast recovery time, and convenience.” Clinical studies have shown that shockwave therapy is a safe and effective method for the treatment of plantar fasciitis pain. For example, when shockwave therapy was used to address chronic heel pain in 45 running athletes, pain on first waking (when heel pain is often the worst) was reduced after just three treatments and that relief persisted for 12 months.
Increase Circulation for Muscle Strain and Sports Injuries
Muscle injuries account for 10% to 55% of all acute sports injuries and shockwave therapy has been shown to improve muscle repair and recovery after a muscle strain. The treatment of muscle strains can be challenging because “muscle tissue is often unable to fully regenerate to its pre-injury state,” and people recovering from hamstring injuries have a re-injury rate of approximately 30%.
Clinical studies have shown that shockwave treatments alone and in combination with other treatment modalities facilitate muscle repair and rejuvenation. When shockwave therapy is incorporated into the treatment regimen, athletes experience less pain after injury, improved muscle tone, improved muscle strength, less muscle tightness, and increased muscle elasticity, and are able to return to activity. Shockwave therapy has even been shown to decrease muscle spasticity in those suffering from a stroke.
Shockwave Therapy for Body Contouring
Improved Contouring and Eliminate Cellulite
Shockwave therapy is clinically proven to enhance and support the effects of body contouring treatments, such as cellulite and fat reduction. It is a non-invasive procedure that delivers high-frequency, low-intensity acoustic waves as it passes over the areas of cellulite using a small, handheld device similar to an ultrasound wand. Shockwave therapy is proven to stimulate fat breakdown, collagen synthesis, and lymphatic drainage. The treatment is painless, has no side effects, and has been clinically proven for its body contouring and cellulite elimination effects.
Combining shockwave therapy with the Emsculpt NEO treatment has also proven to improve skin quality and the appearance of muscle tissue and eliminate cellulite in different body parts. Results showed high patient satisfaction and efficacy for improving body image and skin quality. The procedure is versatile and is recommended for the effective and safe treatment of multiple body parts to influence the unwanted effects of aging.
Shockwave therapy is a great option for women and men of any age who desire a jump-start in their body’s ability to heal tissues, encourage cellular growth, relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and restore mobility throughout their musculoskeletal system. However, there are a few situations where it shouldn’t be used.
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When soft tissue is torn beyond repair and an injury requires surgery
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Close to the womb during pregnancy
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On malignant tumors or nearby tissues
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Near the lungs, brain, or spine
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With any type of bleeding disorder
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Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive procedure meaning there is no surgery, drugs, or invasive procedures, and no downtime. Think of the procedure as being similar to an ultrasound. High-frequency, low-intensity acoustic waves are delivered to a tendon or muscle through the skin using a small, handheld device. Though the name of the treatment makes it sound painful, it’s only mildly uncomfortable for most people. Most patients say it feels like a light tapping or tingling sensation and do not experience pain.
Results from shockwave therapy vary depending on the individual and condition that is being treated. The Well in Montclair team will provide detailed information to you at the time of your consultation to set clear expectations for your plan.
The Well in Montclair team will create a treatment plan for you after your first consultation. The length of each session, the frequency, and duration of maintenance vary from person to person and by condition.