Shockwave Therapy (ECSWT)

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy passes low energy acoustic pressure waves through the skin and into the affected tissue. The aim is to increase local blood flow, stimulate the body’s own natural repair process and reduce pain in the area.

For many people with long-standing tendon pain, the tendon has lost some of its ability to tolerate load. Shockwave can help to settle symptoms enough for you to begin progressive loading exercises, and that is where the lasting change comes from. It is why we always deliver shockwave alongside a graded exercise programme rather than as a treatment on its own.

Shockwave Therapy is typically three to six treatment sessions, usually spaced around a week apart.

There are no injections, no anaesthetic and no need for time off for most people. Treatment is often supported by an individually tailored exercise programme to follow between sessions.

We also conduct review appointments and return to sport or return to activity advice.

You may feel some discomfort while the treatment is being delivered. Energy levels can be adjusted throughout to keep you as comfortable as possible. Mild soreness in the area for a day or two afterwards is common and usually settles on its own.

Shockwave therapy is usually considered where pain has been present for more than three months and has not improved with rest, medication or conventional physiotherapy. It is not suitable and appropriate for every type of pain.

Your physiotherapist will carry out a full assessment before recommending treatment. Where shockwave is suitable, it may help to reduce pain and improve function as part of an evidence-based rehabilitation programme. Where it is not, we will explain why and talk you through the options that are more likely to help.

Some conditions SWT may be suitable for include: Plantar fasciitis and plantar heel pain, achilles tendinopathy, tennis elbow (lateral elbow tendinopathy, golfer’s elbow (medial elbow tendinopathy), gluteal tendinopathy and greater trochanteric pain syndrome, patellar tendinopathy (sometimes called jumper’s knee) and calcific shoulder tendinopathy in selected patients

First4Therapy, run by Vinita Sood, are a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), The Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists and British Association of Hand Therapists.

We are committed to ensuring the best practices across the range of healthcare services we offer and helping our clients achieve the best outcomes from all of our treatments.