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What is shockwave therapy?

Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that stimulates the body’s natural healing process. It can relieve pain and promote healing of injured tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues. It accomplishes this by releasing growth factors in the injured tissue. Shockwave therapy is sometimes referred to as EPAT, or extracorporeal pulse activation technology.

Shockwave therapy is a type of regenerative medicine (also known as an orthobiologic therapy). It is used to treat tendinopathy as well as difficult-to-heal ligament injuries. Some degenerative tendinopathies have an associated buildup of calcium in the tendon. Focused shock waves can break those deposits up.

The treatment can also promote healing after orthopedic surgery — for instance, if a hip impingement has damaged tendons and ligaments around the hip. Surgery may correct the hip impingement, but after years of overworking and degeneration because of the impingement, the surrounding tendons often remain painful. Shockwave therapy can be used to address this secondary issue.

What sports injuries can be treated with shockwave therapy?

Shockwave therapy is used to reduce pain and promote healing from tendinopathy and many other sports injuries. Some examples include:

  • Foot pain: plantar fasciitis and Achilles’ tendinopathy

  • Achilles' tendonopathies

  • Knee pain: patella tendinopathy (jumper’s knee)

  • Leg pain: hamstring injuries

  • Hip pain: rectus femoris and lateral hip pain with gluteal tendinopathies

  • Elbow pain: Little League elbow and tennis elbow

  • Shoulder pain: rotator cuff injuries

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