Shockwave Therapy Melbourne

Shockwave Therapy (or Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)) is the administration of high amplitude pulses through the surface of the skin, which sends kinetic energy to areas of the body that are causing pain.

This therapy successfully treats a variety of tendon, joint and muscular conditions by stimulating blood flow and promoting the body’s natural repair response. It is safe, non-invasive and has no side effects.

What is Shockwave Therapy?

Traditionally known for treating kidney stones, Shockwave Therapy sends high intensity acoustic waves to specific areas of the feet, ankles and lower limbs that are causing pain and discomfort.

The Therapy, when used to treat kidney stones, showed changes in the soft tissues of the skin, tendons and muscles which lead to it being used to treat other conditions. In Podiatry and sports medicine, this same technology has been used for more than 10 years to treat chronic pain.

The waves stimulate pain relief and soft tissue repair and lead to an immediate improvement of symptoms. It does this by delivering pulses to the tissue creating microtrauma at the site, which results in an altered biological response – it’s this change in blood flow that accelerates tissue repair.

Which common foot problems can Shockwave Therapy can be used to treat?

Shockwave Therapy can enable patients to get back to normal functioning and activities more quickly than previous treatment options for recalcitrant injuries such as complete rest, cortisone injections or surgery.

It can be used to treat a number of chronic musculoskeletal disorders of the feet and lower limbs including:

Plantar heel pain and plantar fasciitis (pain underneath the heel of the foot)

Inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia (the structure which attaches to the heel bone) which is often worse first thing in the morning, or after rest

Osteoarthritis

A condition where the protective cartilage that covers and cushions the end of the bones has worn down

Shin splints

Inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and bone tissue around your tibia

Achilles tendinopathies (pain at the back of the heel)

Injury, degeneration and/or inflammation of your Achilles tendon, which is at the back of the heel and attaches into the calf muscle

How does Shockwave Therapy work?

Shockwave Therapy has three main effects:

Healing – accelerates the body’s natural healing process
Mobility – reduces pain which increases mobility
Repair – promotes cell regeneration and tissue repair.

Administered using a handpiece (or applicator), the focused shockwave therapy makes it possible to penetrate deeper into the body to treat tissue that is otherwise very hard to get to and can therefore be more difficult to resolve.

Our Podiatrists first locate the pain through palpation or ultrasound. Then we mark out the treatment area and apply contact gel. Using the applicator, the Podiatrist works on the area.

Compressed air is then forced through a piston in the applicator creating fast pressure vibrations which impact the tissues causing the pain. This causes increased blood flow which leads to accelerated tissue repair, cell growth and reduction in pain which helps to increase mobility again.

Shockwave Therapy is used to treat foot and leg pain by interrupting the pain cycle that the body is in:

It causes a small amount of microtrauma or inflammation in the problem area
This has the effect of releasing Substance P from the nerves which reduces pain and decreases discomfort in the area
In turn, the release of Substance P increases the blood flow to the site – stimulating the body’s natural healing process of the injured tissue
This process facilitates the return of normal functioning of the tissues around the site and increases mobility.

Shockwave Therapy is usually always combined with a comprehensive rehabilitation program including specific strengthening exercises for patients to do regularly at home. Our Podiatrists will guide patients through these exercises ensuring they are completed correctly and regularly as this helps promote long term results. We may also provide footwear advice, orthotics and offer additional advice to ensure the problem is much less likely to recur.

How many treatments will I need?

The regime we administer is a minimum of three treatments over a few weeks – often, but not always, one per week for three weeks.

The treatment duration is approximately three to five minutes. During this time, around 3,000 shocks are administered.

Shockwave Therapy is entirely non-invasive and non-surgical, and works through the surface of the skin on the area causing pain. Patients sometimes report feeling small amounts of discomfort during the procedure itself as the waves of pressure penetrate through the tissues to the site of pain. The treatment can be adjusted to suit each patients’ personal pain threshold but there is no need for a local anaesthetic for the procedure.

Why Choose Your Foot Clinic?

Our in-house, low pain therapy can help provide faster recovery and increase performance.

We have Shockwave Therapy available at our Ferntree Gully Clinic. Our Podiatrists have over 40 years of experience in total, treating people’s feet.

The equipment used to administer the therapy is on site so, after a full assessment, you can be treated immediately at the time of the appointment
The cost of the assessment is included in our standard consulting fee
Podiatrists in our Clinic are trained to administer Shockwave Therapy
Patients do not need a referral from their doctor in order to see a Podiatrist or have this treatment.