Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)
A science-backed game-changer.
Many of us know the experience of getting a musculoskeletal injury to a joint, ligament, muscle or tendon that lasts a few weeks, we shrug it off and move on. Some of us end up less lucky. When injuries don’t heal up as expected and become more chronic it can start a negative spiral that makes even a good recovery plan difficult to achieve. Our team share this frustration and are always on the lookout for ways to get our patients better, faster. We don’t go in for gimmicky gadgets or techniques with dubious claims that, sadly, too many gravitate toward out of desperation. Instead we take our time, we do our homework and set the bar high - only investing in treatment options we would use on ourselves or our own families. And in that spirit, in the summer of 2022, we teamed up with Venn Healthcare to introduce a truly game-changing treatment to our practice, recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). For the first time, in any Podiatry clinic in the Scottish Borders, we bring you: Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT).
Persistent problems…a powerful solution.
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), often simply referred to as Shockwave therapy helps to solve a core issue behind A LOT of the musculoskeletal conditions people come to us with: body tissues that have become damaged or degenerated i.e. have failed to heal successfully. Chronically degenerated tissues have undergone cellular changes that make them more resistant to treatments that would otherwise work well in acute cases. The challenge is therefore to help the body, in whatever way possible, to boot-start healing again.
In the case of our Shockwave machine, an applicator is applied to the skin (with a layer of gel in between) and a ballistic is rapidly fired back and forth through a cylinder which creates an audible high-energy wave (the shockwave part) that is transmitted into the body toward the tissue we are seeking to treat.
Over the course of treatment the energy transmitted is steadily increased and, as it raises, so too do the potential healing benefits. This is done gradually as the sensation can be a little uncomfortable to start and this gives the body some time to adjust. Interestingly, many people actually report an instant relief of their pain after treatment, thought to be due to a “hyperstimulation” effect on the tissues.
The whole process takes only a few minutes and is usually repeated once a week for around 3 - 6 sessions depending on the condition.
Turning DEgeneration into REgeneration!
Shockwave therapy produces a number of interesting phenomenon in human tissues important to healing. These have been demonstrated in many high-quality peer-reviewed studies and include:
A stimulatory effect on the micro-circulation and vasodilation, improving blood flow and supply of nutrients to injured tissues.
Increased cell permeability (making cells more efficient at moving useful compounds in and moving waste products out).
Release of substance-P, an important neurotransmitter involved in pain reduction.
Stimulation of cells involved in rebuilding healthy tissue structure including fibroblasts and osteoblasts.
Increased production of collagen, an essential building block in many human tissues such as tendons, joints and ligaments.
Backed by evidence.
Shockwave isn’t the first technology to make bold claims about it’s ability to boost blood flow, improve healing and reduce pain. There’s no shortage of snake oil out there! So why believe this actually works? One word: Evidence.
Shockwave is VERY well studied (with around 300 new scientific publications released annually) in a wide range of applications, with success rates as high as 90% in some conditions. Most notably, for the interests of our practice, it has been shown repeatedly to be effective in the treatment of tendon problems such as achilles tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis (fasciopathy) as well as ligament damage and even bone injuries like medial tibial stress syndrome.
Supported by NICE.
Our ethos at Tweed Podiatry is to always seek the best quality evidence in support of how we practice. This is why Shockwave has been introduced and our team trained as certified shockwave professionals. But it’s important to state that we DO NOT use it in isolation: the best quality research available places Shockwave as an adjunct therapy that is best used alongside other practices to accelerate results. This includes patient-specific exercise programmes, orthotic therapy, taping and other modalities our MSK and Sports Podiatry team will often employ.
The evidence in support of shockwave has also led to it being recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) who carefully and critically review the available science on various conditions and treatments, and supply qualified health care professionals, such as ourselves, with clinical guidance on how best to help our patients. This gives immense confidence both to our team, and we hope to you too, that Shockwave therapy is the real deal.
Guide Prices
£95 per session (3-session package for £235)