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We are excited to be able to offer Shockwave Therapy for our London clients at our Crystal Palace clinic. Shockwave Therapy is an effective treatment to reduce pain and accelerate tissue healing in specific problem areas.
What is Shockwave Therapy (SWT)?
Shockwave Therapy (SWT) is an effective non-invasive treatment in which a hand-held device is used to pass acoustic shockwaves at a set frequency, through the skin to the affected area under treatment (National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, 2018). We are now able to offer this service at our London Crystal Palace Clinic.
How does it work?
Shockwave Therapy treatment helps to accelerate the body’s own healing response, by initiating a pro-inflammatory response in the tissue. The NICE guidelines support the use of Shockwave Therapy as an intervention for pain relief for a variety of chronic tendon pathologies i.e. plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinopathy and tennis elbow.
Common Conditions treated with SWT:
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Tennis Elbow
- Greater Trochantric Pain in the Hip
- Patella Tendinopathy
If you would like further information on our London Shockwave Therapy Service please click here to read & download our Shockwave Therapy Patient Information pdf.
Clinical research and the results for Shockwave Therapy
Recent research studies have shown Shockwave Treatment to be effective at:
- Reducing tendon pain – this is welcome relief after enduring pain for at least a few months
- Increasing blood flow to tendon and bone cells – improves local circulation again
- Regulating cellular inflammation – imrpoving the function of the tendon cells after injury
- Increasing activity of tendon cells – they can work again as they should
Common conditions have been studied, showing the following results:
Achilles Tendinopathy
Nice Guidelines support the use of SWT with patients who have a clinical diagnosis of Achilles Tendinopathy. Clinical literature has shown that the best outcomes for SWT are when it is combined with physiotherapy rehabilitation programme of loading, which means under physiothearpy supervision, carefully training the tendon to accept graded weight again. Please contact your physiotherapist for further detail specific to your requirements. The evidence base is best for refractory or chronic Achilles tendinopathy, as opposed to an acute onset of pain. Treatment can be painful and leave redness post treatment.
Plantar Fasciitis
Nice Guidelines support the use of Shockwave Therapy to patients with a clinical diagnosis of plantar fasciitis. Clinical literature shows good outcomes with SWT independent of physiotherapy intervention. Also, that swelling and local discomfort are normal following SWT treatment. The literature suggests the best outcomes are after 3 months of foot pain and after 3 consecutive treatments of SWT at weekly intervals. Read more about Plantar Fasciitis and how to manage it, from our expert Britt Raaijmakers.
Tennis Elbow
Nice Guidelines support the use of SWT to be applied in one or several sessions. Local analgesia may be used as SWT can be painful. NICE acknowledge that there is a difference in protocols which makes results difficult to compare. Clinical literature shows that Shockwave Therapy combined with Physiotherapy can significantly reduce elbow pain and increase grip strength. The best outcomes are after enduring elbow pain for 3-6 months and having failed conservative management. The SWT should be applied at the site of maximal pain and given at weekly intervals of 3-4 applications.
SWT is available at our Crystal Palace clinic following referral from your Physiotherapist to our London based SWT experts Chris Hall and Justin Walsh.
If you would like further information about our London Shockwave Therapy Service, to Speak to a Specialist or to book a physiotherapy assessment please Contact Us.
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