Shockwave Therapy in Cheltenham
Relieve pain and recover quicker with shockwave therapy
Painful sports injuries or pain caused by soft tissue or bone problems can seriously affect your ability to do daily activities, they can be difficult to manage and they can cause a great deal of stress and upset.
Shockwave therapy can target specific pain in the bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Depending on the injury, patients can avoid invasive treatments such as steroid injections or surgery. It can be easily delivered, gives significant or total relief of pain in the vast majority of patients.
When you have shockwave treatment, we will use a hand held device connected to a machine that turns compressed air into sound waves. We will apply ultrasound gel to the skin beforehand to help transmit the shockwaves through the skin, and then apply some light pressure to move the device over the area that requires treatment.
what is shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy isn’t new, it was developed in Germany in the late 1960s and was used mainly to treat kidney stones, but its use in the treatment of soft tissue injuries began in the 1990s.
Shockwave therapy involves applying a probe directly onto the skin that covers the affected area, and it uses low energy sound waves, or acoustic waves to provide pain relief. It’s non-invasive, making it a safe and effective alternative to more invasive treatments. The shockwaves work by increasing blood flow to the injured area, breaking down calcified deposits, stimulating cells that generate new bone tissue, and reducing pain by overstimulating the nerve endings in the affected area.
Shockwave therapy is recognised by the
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a non-invasive treatment for soft tissue injury that speeds up recovery and helps with acute or chronic pain. It is most effective when combined with a progressive rehabilitation program to gradually strengthen the local and supporting muscle groups.
Shockwave therapy effectiveness is between 80% to 90%, depending on the area treated, this is because of its application system which can be easily targeted to the root of the injury. The treatment does not hurt much and does not hinder the patient’s daily activities and eliminates the need for steroid injections.
It can be used as a stand-alone treatment or combined with a progressive exercise program to gradually strengthen the local and supporting muscle groups. It's a brilliant treatment to use when other treatments options have failed.
In over 30-years of use and hundreds of studies, no serious or long-term complication has ever been observed with Shockwave Therapy. Minor complications such as slight swelling, redness, and/or tingling at the treatment site are possible, but they are short term and resolve quickly. If Shockwave Therapy happens to not work, it just does not work. You are not risking making anything worse and you still have the option for surgery or other treatments.
What does it treat
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the fibrous tissue (plantar fascia) along the bottom of your foot that connects your heel bone to your toes. One concerning aspect of surgical treatment of plantar fasciitis is that there are potentially serious complications such as nerve injury, infection, and flat feet. However, with shockwave treatment for plantar fasciitis few complications are experienced and there is significant evidence supporting its use.
Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendinopathy is one of the most common foot problems we see and it's not surprising when you consider the large load placed on your achilles tendon every time you walk or run. You may get pain, stiffness and sometimes swelling around your heel. It’s a common injury, especially if you’re very active or do lots of sports. There are plenty of studies that show that shockwave treatment for achilles tendonitis is a very effective option.
Tennis Elbow (Tendonosis)
Tennis elbow is a swelling or tearing of the tendons that bend your wrist backward away from your palm. It's a tendonosis injury caused by repetitive motion of the forearm muscles, which attach to the outside of your elbow. Tendinosis and tendonitis are similar but tendonitis is a abrupt short-term condition from a direct injury to the tendon and usually involves swelling, where as tendinosis is caused by long term overuse and does not involve swelling.
Shockwave treatment for tennis elbow, like other tendinopathies such as patella tendinopathy, gluteal tendinopathy, shoulder tendinopathy and hamstring tendinopathy, has been proven to be highly effective.
Hip Flexor
The hip flexors are a group of muscles toward the front of the hip. They help you move or flex your leg and knee up toward your body. A hip flexor strain occurs when one or more of the hip flexor muscles becomes stretched or torn. They are easily susceptible to injury when they are engaged suddenly without a proper warm-up. They can also be injured through repeated strenuous activity, or even too much inactivity. Focused shockwave treatment is used to regenerate damaged tendons and muscles and accelerate healing.
Benefits of shockwave therapy
Shockwave therapy uses have grown in number since this treatment was invented, and researchers continue to discover new ways to use low-energy shockwaves to help patients deal with pain and regenerate tissue. Its main benefits are:
- It can help reduce pain caused by a variety of soft tissue injuries, including plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow and achilles tendonitis. The sound waves used in shockwave therapy help to stimulate blood flow and promote the release of natural painkillers in the body.
- By increasing blood flow to the affected area, the energy waves can promote the growth of new blood vessels and tissue. This can speed up healing and reduce the risk of complications.
- It can be an effective non-surgical treatment for chronic conditions such as plantar fasciitis, golfers knee and achilles tendonitis. These conditions can be difficult to treat, and traditional treatments such as medication or surgery may not be effective.
- Shockwave therapy can also be combined with a physiotherapy program to get you back to work, or playing your favorite sport, faster. It's an ideal treatment for athletes who do not yet want or need surgery for chronic pain or injuries.
- Shockwave therapy is a quick treatment that typically takes around 15-20 minutes per session, you will usually require 3 to 6 sessions. The short time needed for each session makes it easy to fit around other commitments.
- Unlike surgery or other invasive treatments, shockwave therapy requires no downtime from work and most activities. You can return to your normal activities immediately after treatment.
- Shockwave therapy is a safe and effective treatment with no known side effects. Unlike medication or surgery, it does not carry the risk of complications or adverse reactions.
- After a few weeks of consistent treatment, your muscles, tendons, and ligaments will have had the chance to heal, recover, and strengthen. This means that shockwave therapy not only helps you with the immediate symptoms, but actually pushes you towards a healthy, happy future as well.
Book now
Shockwave therapy with its strong evidence of effectiveness is an obvious treatment and cost-effective choice. Treatment costs £60/session and typically only requires 3 to 6 sessions to achieve positive outcomes. However, the more severe your injury the more treatments you're likely to need.
Where it is appropriate we can offer a combination of shockwave therapy and physiotherapy to speed up the journey to recovery for only £10 more.
What's more our unique
save as you recover packages can save you up to 20% on the cost of a single session.
Insured
We can either work directly with your insurance company or provide receipts for patients who use cash based plans so you can reclaim your treatment costs.
Not Covered by Insurance
You can book an appointment in our local physiotherapy clinic in Cheltenham on a self referral basis, no need to see your GP.
Why Choose Us
We offer shockwave therapy as a stand-alone treatment or integrated into broader treatment plans. Our expert physiotherapists will work with you to tailor your care plan, based on your medical history, current condition and recovery goals.
At our Cheltenham shockwave therapy clinic you’ll receive the best possible care and achieve the best possible outcomes.