Shockwave Therapy Brisbane
Vitalis physiotherapists perform shockwave therapy in Brisbane to help you improve chronic musculoskeletal conditions and speed up recovery.
If you’ve been struggling with a long-term musculoskeletal problem, and are looking for a physiotherapist around me, Vitalis Physiotherapy might suggest shockwave therapy. We’ve seen excellent results with this convenient, non-invasive technique that has practically no side effects.
What Is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy (also known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy or radial shockwave therapy) is a non-invasive treatment method that promotes natural tissue healing for a range of sub-acute to chronic musculoskeletal disorders that are difficult to heal.
A sub-acute disorder is a relatively recent or changing problem. A chronic problem is something you’ve been living with for a long time, usually over 3 months with very little change, for example, Achilles tendinopathy or plantar fasciitis.
You may already have received some kind of treatment but without any improvements. That’s when we propose radial shockwave therapy as a potential solution.
How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?
If you and your physiotherapist agree that shockwave therapy is the best treatment option, your physio will smooth some gel over the area to be treated then move a hand-held device slowly around that part of your body. The device uses radial pressure waves to transfer a high dose of energy to the pain region, making some clicking sounds as it operates. The transmitted energy stimulates your body’s natural healing response.
One 5-10 minute session may be enough to reduce pain for many patients while others report notable improvement after approximately 3 treatments.
What Are The Benefits of Radial Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy awakens your body’s natural healing response, helping to heal injured tissue rather than just manage painful symptoms.
It may also help to:
- Reduce pain
- Improve your range of motion
- Reduce muscle tightness
- Release painful trigger points
- Improve blood and lymphatic circulation
- Regenerate your cells.
And it’s non-invasive. It helps avoid the need for medication, steroid injections or surgery, which have greater potential side-effects and longer recovery time. With shockwave therapy, you’re able to return to your normal activities as soon as the treatment session is over.
What conditions is Shockwave Therapy used to treat?
Vitalis Physiotherapy performs shockwave therapy in Brisbane to assist in the treatment of a growing number of conditions including:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Heel spurs
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Patella tendinopathy (jumper’s knee)
- Greater trochanteric pain syndrome
- Calcific tendinopathy of the shoulder
- Tennis and golfer’s elbow
- Finger tenosynovitis (trigger finger)
- Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Gluteal tendinopathy
- Proximal hamstring tendinopathy
- Other forms of insertional tendinopathy
- Muscle strains
- Calcified haematomas (“corkies”)
- Shin splints
- Osteitis pubis
- Recalcitrant trigger points
- Osgood-Schlatter Disease
- Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Shoulder Pain
What happens after Shockwave Therapy?
After treatment, your body continues its natural healing processes, stimulated by radial shockwave therapy. We usually advise that you refrain from exercising the treated area for about 48 hours.
As a Vitalis Physiotherapy patient, you’ll be given a personalised program of specific exercises to help your condition. These stretches and exercises help to build your strength and flexibility and reduce the risk of further injury.
Does the treatment hurt?
You might feel a bit of discomfort, or even a little pain, but this will be quickly over since the treatment only lasts a short time. We can also lessen the intensity of the treatment if you find it too much — please let your Vitalis physio know how you’re feeling.
Some patients report a little soreness in the treated area a few hours afterwards but this usually passes quickly and doesn’t limit your activities. Most patients will experience immediate pain relief following the treatment.
Does Shockwave Therapy have side effects?
Only the very mild ones mentioned above. It’s a remarkably convenient treatment with negligible complication rates. That’s especially significant when compared to invasive treatments such as cortisone injections or surgery, which have greater potential side effects and longer recovery times.
Will the treatment definitely help me?
We hope so, but there are no guarantees for any kind of medical treatment.
We have seen wonderful results in many patients who were struggling with painful conditions that weren’t responding to other treatments.
How Many Treatments Are Needed?
The number of sessions needed will depend on:
- Type of injury,
- Location of the injury,
- How long you have had the injury for.
Most patients need between 5 and 8 sessions but everyone is different. The right number of treatments depends on the type, location and persistence of your injury. Your sessions will be 5-7 days apart to provide your body with enough time to make progress between treatments.
Most patients need 5-8 sessions sessions but everyone is different. The right number of treatments depends on the type, location and persistence of your injury. Your sessions will be 5-7 days apart to allow time for your body to make progress between treatments.
Can Anyone Have Radial Shockwave Therapy?
The therapy is used on many individuals but isn’t recommended for:
- Pregnant women
- People with acute inflammation
- People who’ve had corticosteroid injections in the last six weeks
- People on high-dose anticoagulant therapy (blood-thinning medicines like Warfarin)
- People with cancer
Interested in Shockwave Therapy?
If you are struggling with an injury or condition that’s been bothering you for a while, and you are looking for a ‘physiotherapist near me’ or ‘Shockwave Therapy Brisbane’, talk to Vitalis Physiotherapy about whether shockwave therapy could help you.
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