Shockwave Therapy in Sheffield

Shockwave therapy is a highly effective and modern non-surgical treatment, which works by focusing high powered sound energy waves into a painful body region.

Shockwave treatment is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to invasive musculoskeletal treatments such as injections and surgery due to its non-invasive nature and minimal side effects.

Furthermore, there is ever increasing strong scientific evidence to support the use of shockwave therapy for a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries, and it is supported by the NHS.

Shockwave therapy has strong supporting scientific evidence for a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries, the most common of which include:

  • Achilles Tendinopathy
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Patella Tendinopathy
  • Shin Splints
  • Patella Tendinopathy
  • Tennis & Golfers Elbow

If you have musculoskeletal injuries that are causing you pain, get in touch with Katie Bell Physiotherapy today to see how shockwave therapy could benefit your injury. Our award winning team will book you in for an initial appointment to assess your condition, and will then outline a suitable course of treatment to help minimise your pain.

Download our Shockwave Therapy leaflet.

Get in touch

Opening Hours:

Monday – Thursday: 8am-8pm
Friday: 8am-5:30pm
Saturday – Sunday: Closed

How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?

How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?

Shockwaves are delivered to the affected region via a handheld device connected to the shockwave machine. This highly focused soundwave stimulation upon the injured area has several biological effects that stimulate healing of the injured tissue, including:

New blood vessel formation

Micro ruptures in the injured area are created which stimulates the release of growth factors to the area. These growth factors are substances which stimulate the biological responses to improve healing conditions by increasing blood, nutrient and oxygen availability.

Reduction of Substance P

Substance P is a natural chemical substance found within the human body which is associated with persistent and chronic pain. Shockwave therapy reduces the amount of Substance P within the injured tissue therefore reducing pain.

Reversal of chronic inflammation

If injuries become entrapped within a vicious cycle of chronic inflammation, the tissue environment makes it very difficult for healing to occur. Shockwave therapy provides a strong stimulus to a stalled healing process which stimulates the return to normal healing and regeneration processes.

What’s The Process Of Receiving Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave therapy is becoming an increasingly popular musculoskeletal treatment due to its fantastic benefits for rehabilitation, reduction of pain and return to function. However, it must be stated that shockwave therapy is not indicated for every single person or injury.

Because of this, and unlike many other clinics which offer shockwave therapy, we offer an individualised structured approach to receiving shockwave therapy to give you the highest chance of treatment success.

This structured approach is as follows:

  1. Initial Physiotherapy assessment with one of our experienced Physiotherapists to fully assess your injury to determine whether shockwave therapy is indicated and suitable
  2. Ultrasound scan – following your initial assessment, you will have an in-house ultrasound scan and full report to give an exact diagnosis which will further indicate whether shockwave therapy is indicated and suitable for you
  3. Start of shockwave treatment alongside a full Physiotherapy led rehabilitation programme

Will Shockwave Therapy Work as a Standalone Treatment?

Shockwave therapy will provide benefits as a standalone treatment, however, to gain the biggest chance of success, it should be used in conjunction with a range of other core treatments including:

  • An individualised and progressive exercise programme led by a Physiotherapist
  • Activity and load management education and advice
  • Lifestyle advice regarding diet, sleep, stress, hydration and smoking to influence tissue healing
  • Self management advice

How many shockwave treatment sessions will I need?

Scientific research recommends 6 sessions of shockwave therapy to get the most out of treatment as benefits tend to be accumulative, not instant.

How often should I have shockwave therapy sessions?

Shockwave sessions are spaced so that the injured tissue has enough time to react and adapt to the treatment before commencing follow up sessions.

Therefore, follow up sessions generally occur 2-10 days after the previous session, depending on the client and their circumstances.

How fast does shockwave therapy work?

It can take up to 90 days to reach maximum benefit from shockwave therapy treatment as benefits are accumulative, however you may feel some benefits after your first session.

Will experience any pain during the session or afterwards?

You may experience discomfort during shockwave therapy sessions, but it is usually tolerable. However, as treatment only lasts for between 5-15 minutes, most clients are able to tolerate it. Furthermore, the intensity of the shockwave can be adjusted to suit individual tolerance.

Most clients will experience immediate pain relief following shockwave therapy, however, within 2-4 hours post treatment some patients report mild discomfort described as tolerable and not limiting.

Are there any restrictions after having shockwave therapy?

It is recommended that clients refrain from physical activity for 48 hours after shockwave therapy treatment, especially any activity which directly involves the treated region.

TO BOOK YOUR SHOCKWAVE THERAPY, PLEASE CALL THE CLINIC OR SIMPLY ENTER YOUR DETAILS BELOW AND OUR TEAM WILL GET BACK TO YOU SHORTLY.

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