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With the help of a new technique of shock wave therapy, today it is customary to treat various lesions in the area of the musculoskeletal system. Some experts consider the technique as an alternative to surgical operations, which will lead to a reduction in the rehabilitation period, a decrease in various risks for the patient, and so on. However, the possibility of such therapy is largely due to a number of factors and the correctness of its application.
Features of the procedure for using shock wave therapy
The technique of shock wave therapy is based on the effects on tissues of a certain frequency of shock-acoustic waves, which are produced by a device specially designed for this purpose. Shock waves are impulses of infrasonic nature with high pressure. They affect tissues by stimulating regeneration and microcirculation. This allows you to level pains, increase blood circulation in the places of impact, loosen decalcifications in the joints with resorption in the future of such fragments, remove salts from the places of their accumulation. In the tissues, the temperature rises locally, which leads to an acceleration of regeneration and eliminates the development of inflammatory processes.
Shock wave therapy looks very simple. A specialized gel must be applied to the site of the dislocation of the disease, as in a standard ultrasound examination. Then, using the device’s sensor, the specialist begins to work on the area treated with the gel, having previously set the necessary wave pressure force and its frequency on the device, which are needed in each specific case for various diseases.
The effectiveness of the appointment of shock wave therapy is confirmed by many clinical studies. If the procedure is applied in a timely manner, in the required volume with an appropriate diagnosis, then positive results can occur, both as a result of a cumulative effect, and almost instantly after 1-2 procedures.
The early positive effects that are most often observed in patients after the first sessions of shock wave therapy include improved tissue microcirculation, the appearance of the effect of local anesthesia (pain relief of painful areas), restoration of the rate of metabolic processes, and a decrease in muscle hypertonicity. Among the more distant effects of a cumulative nature, one can single out the removal of loosened calcium salts from the human body, articular and ligamentous mobility, increased regenerative processes in tissues, the process of restoring capillary blood supply and long-term processes of activating blood flow in the affected areas.
It is very effective when using shock wave therapy to treat heel spurs, not exacerbated arthritis and early arthrosis, hernia, osteochondrosis, urolithiasis, poorly healing fractures, injuries in the tendons and ligaments, trophic ulcers, burns, as well as cellulite and reduced skin turgor . If we approach the treatment of these diseases in a complex way, that is, use drug therapy in addition to shock wave therapy, apply massage and physiotherapy exercises, recovery occurs in 90% of patients.
Indications and contraindications for therapy
Each type of therapeutic treatment has its indications. Shock wave therapy is no exception, which is excellent for some problems of the musculoskeletal system. Traumatologists and orthopedists recommend the appointment of shock wave therapy for:
- early arthrosis, non-infectious arthritis and synovitis;
- plantar fasciitis, epicondylitis, bursitis, achilles, achillodynia;
- osteochondrosis, osteochondropathy and hernias;
- post-traumatic pain in the coccyx area;
- shoulder periarthritis;
- injury to soft tissues associated with ruptures of muscle tissue and tendons;
- development of joints in the postoperative period;
- poorly healing fractures to stimulate the appearance of calluses;
- relieving muscle spasm from intense sports training.
On the eve of how a specialist prescribes shock wave therapy to his patient, it is necessary to carefully study the diagnosis and history of the disease, in order to avoid prescribing the procedure to those people who have contraindications to it. Contraindications for shock wave therapy are conditionally divided into conditional, that is, those whose occurrence may or may not have a bad effect on the body in combination with this technique, and unconditional, in the presence of which it is absolutely impossible to use shock wave therapy.
Conditional or temporary contraindications doctors most often include pregnancy, age up to 17-20 years, the presence of acute infections in the body, deformation of the musculoskeletal system, which excludes the penetration of the procedure into the necessary area.
Among the unconditional contraindications, somatic and technical factors occupy a central place. Doctors refer to technical contraindications as the undesirability of affecting the main vessels, lungs, brain or spinal cord, intestines, many areas of the spine, as well as the patient’s presence of a pacemaker, if shock wave therapy is to be performed by an apparatus with electromagnetic components. Somatic contraindications include oncology, disorders in the process of blood clotting, heart rhythm disturbance, various diseases of the nervous system.
The effectiveness of shock wave therapy
Reviews of experts indicate that the therapeutic technique under consideration does not cause complications and has a positive effect on the course of many diseases if it is carried out correctly and appropriately. A course of 5-7 sessions, carried out every 3-7 days, can eliminate up to 95% of various pathological manifestations in patients of different ages. Reviews of orthopedists also indicate that after the use of shock wave therapy, the patient often ceases to need surgical interventions, which greatly facilitates both the course of treatment and the moral and psychological state of the patient, and shortens the rehabilitation period.
But even in the case when it is impossible to do without surgical intervention, the rehabilitation period is significantly reduced when using this technique, since it promotes healing and regeneration of all types of tissues, helps to restore mobility in the limbs.
Cosmetologists and plastic surgeons approve the use of shock wave therapy to eliminate cellulite, restore skin after many traumatic procedures (peels, microdermabrasion, and others), including surgeries. Sports doctors use shock wave therapy to help athletes get back on track after injuries and also help to increase the tolerance of heavy loads in subsequent workouts.
The general opinion of doctors agrees that the use of shock wave therapy in the treatment helps people with various problems recover more quickly and return to normal life. However, shock wave therapy cannot be considered as a panacea, since it is not indicated for everyone and not for every disease. The mechanism of the impact of the technique has not been fully studied by doctors, which is why the qualifications of the specialist who undertakes to carry it out should be the highest, and the equipment should only be of high quality, intended for professional use.