Shockwave Therapy in La Quinta

Ok, so when someone starts talking about shock treatment, people don’t normally line up. But that’s not the kind of shock treatment that we are talking about. Because there’s a new shock treatment on the block that you just might want to know a little something about. It’s called “extracorporeal shock wave therapy”. So just what is extracorporeal shock wave therapy? Top La Quinta chiropractor explains how it is a completely non-invasive form of regenerative medicine, that utilizes special “pressure waves” of sound in order to correct musculoskeletal dysfunction.

Phew! That’s quite a mouthful! So, let me break it down for you just a little bit. Basically, the procedure entails the use of “high energy acoustic shock waves” (this is where the shock comes in) which serves to vibrate targeted tissue at an intense speed in order to trigger a specific physiological response. The most common use of these shockwaves for several years now has been in the targeted treatment of kidney stones. For anyone who has ever had to pass a kidney stone, they know just how painful the process can be.

With extracorporeal shockwave therapy, however—through the use of acoustic soundwaves—these kidney stones can get blasted with such intensity that it can actually break them up and allow the smaller remnants to pass through the body much more easily. But along with being able to break up kidney stones, the force of these shockwaves has also shown much promise in promoting the healing and regeneration of tissue. And as successful as the procedure has been, the interesting thing about it is—no one is quite sure why it works!

All that is really known for certain is that energetic “pulsations of ultrasonic waves” delivered to the body help to spark the internal process of healing and tissue regeneration. This has been especially the case in the field of orthopedics, in which patients suffering from painful orthopedic conditions such as tendonitis or plantar fasciitis have seen significant improvement when introduced to these pulsating shockwaves of sound.

The Success of Shockwave Therapy in La Quinta

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy began primarily through trial and error, and random observation. As mentioned earlier, one of the original uses of this treatment was to break up kidney stones. But it was the chance observance that those who used it also saw an increase in bone density, which really made things interesting. It was from here that the first forays into shockwave therapy for tissue regeneration really began. It was first tested on animals with muscular disorders to see if they showed improvement after being subjected to the treatment.

After successful animal trials, the first human implementation of shockwave was then introduced a few years later in 1988. This then led to the first official piece of orthopedic shock wave equipment being rolled out in 1993. Currently, the mainstay device used for shockwave therapy is the “ReflectTron”. Manufactured in Switzerland, this device has been crucial in making sure that the shocks from shockwave therapy are used in specific concordance to the disorders that are being treated. From here there was a slow but steady progression of clinical trials and treatments.

Shockwave therapy at Hashimoto Chiropractic - in La Quinta now leads the charge when it comes to cutting edge regenerative care and is used quite exclusively in conditions such as tendinopathy—a condition in which the tendons are painfully inflamed. Several rounds of shockwave therapy have proven to be quite beneficial in treating this condition. And as mentioned, shockwave therapy is also quite beneficial for those that go through the discomfort of “plantar fasciitis”.

Although again, the process is still not completely understood, it is believed that shockwave works for conditions such as plantar fasciitis because it creates “microtrauma” to the tissue. In other words, the tissue sustains very slight damage, and this damage then kicks off a proactive healing mechanism in the subject’s foot, leading to remission of their underlying condition.

These high-intensity blasts of sound work to get the blood flow circulating well enough to engender an improved reaction from the immune system. And if further findings hold up, several more orthopedic conditions could benefit from the use of extracorporeal shockwave therapy as well. As seems to be the trend, since current studies and evaluations rank the likelihood of a positive outcome using extracorporeal shockwave therapy as being in the ballpark of somewhere around 75%.

With results like that, no one can really argue against the merits of using shockwave therapy. The only real side-effects—if you can even call it that—of this treatment is that some patients report a slight tenderness, or tingling of their extremities shortly afterward. But compared to the side effects of other more invasive surgeries—not to mention prescription medications with a whole host of side-effects—any risk posed by shock wave therapy would be exceedingly mild in comparison. If you feel this treatment would be of benefit to you, don’t hesitate to contact your physician.

Call our outstanding team at Hashimoto Chiropractic in La Quinta today to schedule an appointment!