For Lingering Injuries, Think Outside the Box Schedule an appointment for Shockwave Therapy

Ever wonder why professional athletes heal so quickly? Team doctors consider a variety of therapies, from conservative to holistic to emerging, to get their patients back in the game. One such treatment that is endorsed by physicians across a variety of specialties is Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT). For the last 15 years, Perimeter Orthopaedics has been using shockwave therapy to help patients heal from a variety of conditions like:

• Plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendonitis
• Tennis elbow
• Diabetic ulcers
• Shoulder pain
• Jumpers knee
• And other painful conditions

How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?

Shockwave therapy works by emitting high energy pulses. These pulses of energy are delivered to the injured area using an applicator connected to the shockwave therapy device. The shockwaves activate the circulation of new blood and new nerve cells to the injured area. The pulses work by causing trauma to the tissue stimulating the body’s natural healing processes. The result is faster and more complete healing.

How Shockwave Therapy was Discovered

You may be familiar with the term lithotripsy. Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (ESWL) uses high energy shock waves to break up kidney and gallstones. It has been around for decades and is the most frequently used procedure for the treatment of kidney stones. Shockwave Therapy stems from this same safe, highly proven, and highly effective technology. "Extracorporeal" means that the shockwaves are generated externally to the body and transmitted from a pad through the skin to the area receiving treatment.

How Effective is Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave Therapy is FDA approved for a variety of conditions and there are hundreds of clinical studies proving efficacy. Based on the positive results, the potential of shockwave therapy as a safe, non-invasive treatment for tendonitis and other conditions appears to be emerging. The success rate ranges from 60% to 80% in tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, rotator cuff tendinitis, hip pain, Achilles tendinitis and jumper’s knee.*

Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Shockwave Therapy

While ESWT has been proven effective for tendon and other musculoskeletal injuries, it is also more recently being used for wound healing. Shockwave therapy has shown positive results treating foot ulcers in diabetic patients.** Hundreds of studies exist proving the effectiveness of shockwave therapy. To access studies in efficacy go to: PubMed.

When is it Time to Try Shockwave Therapy?

If you have had your condition for months and have tried a variety of traditional therapies to no avail, it may be time to try something different. Continuing to walk on, or use the injured area will cause further damage and will make healing more difficult in the long run. If the condition progresses to a rupture, the only choice may be surgery. Additionally, if left untreated, new problems may arise. For example, with heel pain, you may limp putting more pressure on the other foot. These reactive movements will, in time, demand that your knees, hips and lower back compensate. Compensation injuries occur whenever you have chronic pain left untreated. Doing nothing equals more and worsening problems.

Where is the Treatment Administered?

With newer and more portable technology, shockwave therapy can be done in the doctor’s office at Perimeter Orthopaedics without anesthesia in about 10 minutes. Side effects are minimal and the cost is reasonable. No fasting, medication or injection is necessary. Routine activities can be resumed the next day.

Take care of yourself. Don’t delay fixing the problem. Overall you will heal in less time and for less money if you take care of the problem sooner rather than later.

Appointments

Overall, high-quality orthopedic care is invaluable. It helps people, like you, reclaim their quality of life and get back to doing the things they love.

To schedule an appointment with one of our providers and discuss treatment options in person or via telehealth, please call our Atlanta or Woodstock office. 

Atlanta: 5673 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd, Suite 825, Atlanta, GA 30342

  404-255-5595 

Woodstock: 281 Heritage Walk, Woodstock, GA 30188 

  404-458-8859

www.perimeterortho.com 

• Extracorporeal Schock Wave Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Tendinopathies. Perspectives on Modern Orthopaedics, Andrew Sems, J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2006; 14:195-204

• Efficacy of ESWT in calcifying shoulder tendonitis was proved in 70% patients “ Cosentino R et al., Ann Rheum Dis, 2003

• Tennis elbow (Lateral epicondylitis): Results at one year are 62% excellent to good and 38% fair to poor Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2012 Jan-Mar; 2(1): 33–37

• Plantar fasciitis: Success rates of 70.7% at 3 months and 77.2% at 12 months j.jfas.2008.11.001 · Source: PubMed

• Achilles Tendinitis: Satisfactory results : - 47.2% of cases at two-months follow-up, - 73.2% at medium-term Follow-Up (FU) (6 to 12 months), - 76% at long FU (13 to 24 months) Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2012 Jan-Mar; 2(1): 33–37

• Jumpers Knee (Patellar Tendonitis): Satisfactory results were reported in 73.5% of cases Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2012 Jan-Mar; 2(1): 33–37

• J W ound Care. 2016 Nov 2;25(11):641-649.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the treatment of chronic diabetic foot ulcers: a prospective randomised trial.

  Jeppesen SM1,2, Yderstraede KB3, Rasmussen BS4, Hanna M5, Lund L1,6.

Author

Lauren Mueller Marketing