Why Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy May Be Right For You
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT), or simply “shockwave therapy,” is an FDA-approved and non-invasive treatment. ESWT is utilized as a treatment for plantar fasciitis (or heel pain) and insertional achilles tendonitis.
ESWT, which has a success rate of over 85%, uses a machine to pass shockwaves through the foot to stimulate the healing of inflamed tissues. These mechanically-produced, high-energy sound waves improve blood flow and increase tendon elasticity to speed up the healing process in the inflamed area.
Technically speaking, ESWT produces a new, acute injury to treat a chronic or old condition. The end result is the aforementioned stimulation of the healing process as well as an analgesic (or pain relieving) effect.
Why is ESWT Better Than Invasive Options?
• Extracorporeal means “outside the body.” That means ESWT is non-invasive and does not require the introduction of a medical device within the body.
• While the success rate of ESWT is comparable to that of surgery, you have no risk of scarring or infection with the ESWT treatment protocol.
• You still have treatment options after ESWT. In contrast, when you have invasive surgery, you have no alternatives if it has an unsuccessful outcome.
• You will not need to take time off work. In most cases, ESWT patients can return to normal activities the very next day with little to no limitations.
• The treatment is performed in the familiar surroundings of our office under local anesthesia. It is an outpatient treatment, requiring no overnight stay or hospitalization.