Shockwave therapy
Shockwave therapy is a clinically proven, drug-free treatment that stimulates cells to renew and repair. It has a success rate of between 75-85% and is a quick, affordable and effective treatment to help you get back on your feet.
Technology continually improves. Patients at Cannon Barn Podiatry are treated using the very latest, most effective shockwave therapy technology – the Swiss Doloclast Master, designed and built in Switzerland. This top of the range pain treatment and prevention equipment is on the kit list for leading sports therapists who are responsible for the fitness of star players at top tournaments, including the football World Cup and the Olympics.
Lower limb conditions treated with shockwave therapy include:
Heel pain: Plantar Fasciitis
‘Jumper's Knee’: Patella tendopathy
Shin splints
Achilles tendinopathy
Illotibial band friction syndrome
Osteoarthritis of the Hip, Knee or Foot
TREATMENT PLAN
The first session will include an assessment of the condition and a discussion about the treatment plan. Subsequent sessions are quick, on average taking 15 minutes, and are generally given weekly over a six-week period. It is non-invasive with no risk of infection or tendon rupture.
What is shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy encourages your body to heal. It’s a clinically proven treatment that was pioneered in Switzerland in 1999. In the UK it is available at some hospitals and in a few leading private clinics. It's a treatment method used by medical staff at many professional sports teams. Compressed air is used to stimulate healing in injured soft tissue and bone, and to reduce pain in nerve endings. It’s a non-invasive treatment – there are no needles or drugs. There is no risk of infection and recovery time after treatment is immediate.
PLEASE NOTE:
There are many Shockwave machines on the market at the current time and a number of practitioners using them. Be aware that not all machines are what they seem. EMS is the main manufacturer for the highest quality equipment for medical use. Ask your therapist what machine they have, what power it is capable of, does it maintain this power throughout treatment and how many shockwaves will you receive. The Swiss Dolorclast EMS that we use here is the only machine to be FDA Approved and was used in the majority of clinical trials to the present date.
NOT ALL MACHINES ARE EQUAL
What conditions does it treat?
Long term, lower limb chronic pain conditions that don’t respond to rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, icing or physiotherapy are the primary conditions treated by shockwave therapy. At Cannon Barn Podiatry the conditions treated most commonly are Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy. In many cases shockwave therapy, combined with changes to gait, prevents the need for steroid injections and painful, invasive surgery.
Other conditions treated include:
Mortons Neuromas
Osteoarthritis
Plantar Plate issues
It is wise to speak to Heath regarding any painful issue in the Lower Body to see if Shockwave Therapy may help as a combined treatment strategy.
How does shockwave therapy work?
Shockwave therapy works by helping to reduce pain in nerve fibres, increasing blood circulation and triggering a healing process.
Increasing blood circulation
Breaking down calcification deposits
Stimulating soft tissue cell production – healing ligaments, tendons, muscles etc.
Stimulating bone cells production – healing bone
Stimulating mechanisms for pain relief
Producing an anti-inflammatory effect
What happens during shockwave therapy treatment?
A gel is applied gently to the area that is to be treated. A hand-held device is placed on the injured area and compressed air is used to generate a shockwave that impacts the treatment area. The shockwaves are delivered for between three and five minutes. After the treatment the first noticeable effect is typically a reduction in pain which is due to cells being activated that relieve pain. Long term healing improvements are felt relatively quickly, usually within six weeks.
“Having continually suffered from plantar fascitis for sometime, I became very frustrated. Having shockwave therapy with Cannon Barn Podiatry and Foot Pain Clinic put me where I needed to be – fast. Thanks Heath.”