Radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (RESWT), while relatively new to North America, has a decades-long history in Europe, where doctors and patients know it to be safe and effective.
This device delivers targeted, high-energy waves to a specific site in the body, causing an acoustic “shock” that triggers a local inflammatory response. The body then does exactly what it ought to do: increase metabolic activity at the site. There are soon more blood vessels delivering oxygen and nutrients, the healing process accelerates, and pain signals get blocked on their way back to the brain.
The exact process and results that ensue after treatment depend on the reason for treatment. In the case of a bone fracture, the shockwave triggers production and activity of helper cells that construct bone, speeding healing. Ultimately, any wound benefits from greater blood flow and the increased healing that Shockwave Therapy offers.
By helping the body help itself, RESWT can help the patient avoid medications, like cortisone injections, and even has the potential to eliminate the need for surgery.
More than 80% of the time, patients experience pain relief after only three treatments. That means a prompt increase in quality of life, which is exactly what the Nardella Clinic strives for.
Each weekly treatment is just minutes long, and any discomfort usually passes within hours. Depending on the type and severity of the condition under treatment, a full regimen may take three weeks or three months, with the short-term relief happening right away and lasting healing and stability developing over time.
How do you know if Shockwave Therapy can help? It depends on your health history and what condition you’d like treated. Healthcare practitioners around the world use it for back pain, bone fractures, osteoarthritis, tennis elbow, soft tissue wounds, spasticity (in cerebral palsy for example), cellulite, and more.
The below image shows a handful of treated conditions and the literature that proved RESWT efficacy.
Courtesy of Dr. Christoph Schmitz, MD, University of Munich, Germany
The best thing to do is contact us so we can form a whole picture and a tailored plan to help you in the most effective way possible.
