Shock wave therapy is a noninvasive, high-energy, sound wave treatment commonly used in human and veterinary medicine. It helps the body in relieving pain, speeding healing, and improving the quality of healing. Shock wave is a much higher energy treatment and can penetrate deeper areas than many other types of modalities.
“Shock wave” is a physics term to describe a rapid increase in pressure, such as the energy from an explosion or thunder resulting from lightning. “Shock wave” does not refer to electrical shock. It is actually a high-energy SOUND wave treatment.
How Does Shock Wave Therapy Work?
Shock wave provides a high-energy, focused sound wave. The sound wave acts as a mechanical force at the cellular level, causing various biological reactions, including the release of proteins and other substances that have a profound effect in increasing blood supply to the area and stimulating the release of numerous substances involved in the normal healing process.
The high-energy sound waves stimulate cells and release healing growth factors in the body, which reduce inflammation and swelling, increase blood flow, help bone growth and repair, and enhance wound healing. Shock waves have also demonstrated to recruit stem cells and positively regulate inflammatory proteins associated with osteoarthritis.
What Is Shock Wave Used For?
Shock wave has been proven effective and is considered the gold standard of treatment for a variety of musculoskeletal and orthopedic conditions in animals, including:
– Tendon, ligament, and muscle injuries
– Osteoarthritis
– Degenerative Joint Disease, Degenerative Disc Disease
– Foot/Heel pain
– Shoulder instability
– Bone healing/fractures (splints; stress fractures; buck shins)
– Back and neck pain (kissing spines/lumbosacral pain/arthritis)
– Wound healing
Shock wave is noninvasive, so it can be used in these conditions as an alternative to surgery, instead of increased non-steroidal pharmaceuticals, or as part of a rehabilitation plan.
What To Expect From a Treatment?
An average treatment is relatively fast and easy, typically 10-15 minutes. In some cases, animals with lots of hair/fur may need the area shaved or trimmed to prevent sound wave interruption. The veterinarian selects the number of pulses for the indication being treated, applies the trode and delivers the pulses as necessary.
Typically results are seen with 1-3 treatments. It is important to note that this is a cumulative energy treatment, and the biological responses and healing effects take place over a period of time. A brief analgesic period is sometimes seen and usually passes 3-4 days post-treatment.
Are There Different Types of Shock Waves?
Yes, there are a variety of technologies available, and the key differences directly correlate to safety and efficacy. More importantly, there are three different ways of producing shock waves for medical use: electrohydraulic, electromagnetic, and piezoelectric. In addition, there is a radial pressure wave technology which is often falsely referred to as a shock wave technology.
Integrative Veterinary Care offers the electro-hydraulic technology patented by PulseVet, which creates a primary, focused shock wave. This leads to much larger volumes of tissue being treated per shock and is demonstrably superior. This technology has been documented in extensive human and animal research and validated in thousands of clinical studies. It is the only type that provides true focused energy and true shock waves at all energy settings, which is critical to ensuring results. The versatility of the device and different penetration depths make it optimal for various indications.