Shock Waves Trieste

Radial shock waves

 

Shock waves utilise a repeated pressure wave that compresses and releases the target tissues, creating a kind of targeted and directional ‘mechanical shock’. This effect stimulates the tissues to replace older, damaged cells with newer, more resilient ones, boosting local metabolism and resulting in a powerful anti-inflammatory effect.

What does a shockwave session involve?

Proper application of shockwaves requires, first and foremost, a thorough assessment to identify not only the tissue to be treated but also the underlying causes that led to the problem. The treatment itself usually lasts no more than ten minutes, but is then supplemented with manual techniques or other physical therapies (such as Tecar therapy) to optimise the results and reduce the number of sessions required.

For which conditions?

Shockwave therapy is the treatment of choice for certain conditions affecting tendons and their insertion points; it is also an important tool in the non-surgical treatment of calcifications.

These are just some of the specific conditions for which we can use shockwave therapy:

- Tendon calcifications of the shoulder (supraspinatus tendon or long head of the biceps)

- Insertional calcifications (heel spurs)
- Chronic tendinosis (epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis)
- Chronic bursitis (trochanteric bursa, subacromial bursa)
- Chronic tendon pain syndromes

- Myofascial trigger points

When should they be used? And why?

Shockwave therapy is often most effective for conditions that are difficult to resolve with other therapies, whether physical or manual. Therefore, it is ideally used in the chronic phase (lasting more than six weeks). As it is a very powerful tool in the arsenal of a musculoskeletal therapist, it is often the last resort before invasive medical intervention.

 

Are they painful?

There is a common misconception that shockwave therapy causes severe pain. Whilst this may have been true with older-generation equipment, modern devices now feature various systems to minimise discomfort as much as possible. Although some discomfort is possible, this generally remains within the realm of sensations that are well tolerated by the patient (often comparable to a sports massage or a stretching exercise). We would also like to point out that one of the advantages is the short duration of the treatment (on average around ten minutes) and that, as in all other areas of physiotherapy, it can be adjusted according to the patient’s preference and/or tolerance.

 

Why Chattanooga?

Chattanooga is the world’s leading manufacturer of rehabilitation equipment for treating musculoskeletal, neurological and soft tissue conditions. For over sixty years, Chattanooga has been a benchmark for reliability and technological excellence. We have chosen them because they are currently among the only companies to develop shockwave therapy, paying particular attention to patient comfort through technological innovations designed to reduce discomfort during treatment, allowing all treatment parameters to be adjusted and enabling the therapist to tailor the treatment to the individual needs of the patient.