Therapeutic shockwaves were introduced as a medical treatment for eliminating kidney stones without causing skin injury, over 20 years ago. Some of the side effects discovered while using this treatment, were the bone healing and accelerated tissue healing results on the areas submitted to shockwave treatment.
Therapeutic shockwaves were introduced as a medical treatment for eliminating kidney stones without causing skin injury, over 20 years ago. Some of the side effects discovered while using this treatment, were the bone healing and accelerated tissue healing results on the areas submitted to shockwave treatment. Today the use of radial shockwaves or Radial Pressures Waves (RPW) has been successfully extended to other therapeutic and wellness applications such soft tissue pathologies. It is an excellent non invasive treatment method with very few negative side effects, for indications that are normally very difficult to treat. For these indications we now know that RPW is a treatment method that reduces pain as well as improves function and quality of life.
At Grayhawk Family Chiropractic we utilize state-of-the-art Chattanooga RPW Technology, which consists of a compressed air-ballistic shockwave generator. The shockwaves are generated with a precision ballistic mechanism in the handpiece which accelerates a projectile by compressed air. The motion and weight of the projectile produce kinetic energy which translates along with the transmitter into sound energy in the form of an acoustic wave. The acoustic wave is transmitted into the tissue via a coupling gel and collectively this is known as “Radial Pressure Wave Therapy”. The propagating acoustic waves functionally stimulate increased blood flow and metabolic activity within the cell.
Ultrasound gel is applied to the skin over your problem area to help transmit the waves. A gun-like gadget called an applicator is placed over the region with moderate pressure. A series of short sharp vibrations are emitted from the end of the applicator and into the problem tissues. Your doctor will be targeting the most painful spot. The intensity of the treatment should feel like a 6/10 on the pain scale, so while it is not a comfortable treatment, it lasts only a couple of minutes. The intensity is easily adjusted during the treatment if needed. Treatment is performed only once every 4-7 days. Many patients will experience up to 50% relief after just their first session and many find that they are better within 3-6 treatments.
Today there are several working hypotheses for the physical effects of radial pressure waves:
