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Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), a new treatment for the musculoskeletal disorders

12 May 2018
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), a new treatment for the musculoskeletal disordersExtracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), a new treatment for the musculoskeletal disorders

The Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is the most modern, safe and effective method of physiotherapy for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. Focused shock waves (high-intensity acoustic waves) stimulate the epidermal fibers of the peripheral nerves resulting in triggering pain points in deeper as well as superficial layers of muscle fibers, thus succeeding in immediate bio-recovery of tissues, having some sort of musculoskeletal pathology.

Application of Shock Wave Ultrasound
The treatment is usually applied in 3-5 sessions with time interval of next session of three to five days.
The amount of gel is applied by circular or linear movements and low pressure on the ultrasound application head so that small thrusting waves are delivered to the skin of the painful area. A session lasts about 5-10 minutes. At the end of the treatment, the patient experiences a mild feeling of caustic pain and at the same time a feeling of relief in the heal area.
It is applied to all tenopathies of all joints and to painful muscular spasms.

Application Mechanism
The shock waves activate the body's self-healing process by increasing the blood supply and the metabolism of the suffering area. It dissolves the tendon calcinosis, stimulates the regenerative capacity of the tissue cells, increases its resistance to mechanical load and discharges the inflamed area. The shock waves influence the operation of cellular membrane, so pain sensors no longer produce pain signals. Advantages of the method are that neither anesthesia nor hospitalization is needed for the application. Also, due to the release of endorphins, local pain sensitivity is reduced, relieving the patient immediately. The reported undesirable side effects are minimal. Chronic inflammation is transformed into acute inflammation (which can be located and treated by the body), while at the same time the usage of pharmaceutical formulations is reduced.

Pathologies that can be addressed by the application of shock waves include:

  • Shoulder Pain: calcific shoulder tendonitis - Shoulder Tendonitis.
  • Elbow pain: Tuberculosis (tennis or golfers' elbow).
  • Hip Pain: Trochanteritis.
  • Knee Pain: patellar tendonitis - posterior femur tendonitis (goose feet).
  • Tibial pain: Shin-splint syndrome.
  • Achilles Tendonitis.
  • Heel spine: Plantar fasciitis.
  • Painful spasms (trigger points).