Managing Painful Sport Injuries and Joint Pains with Shockwave Therapy in Charlotte, NC
It’s quite natural to stress the joints and muscles in certain parts of your body when performing your favorite sports activity. However, when you begin to experience pain that doesn’t go away, it might indicate a more pronounced issue in your joints or soft tissues.
Painful sports injuries caused by soft tissues or bone problems may be difficult to manage, cause a great deal of stress, and impair your ability to function normally. While there are various ways to manage these pains, including pain relief medications and surgery, they often come with their risks or side effects.
At Advanced Sports and Spine, we use shockwave therapy in Charlotte, NC, as an innovative therapy for targeting specific pain in the bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons. Our joint and spine doctor, Dr. Ahmad explains in this guide how the treatment works, what conditions it can effectively treat, and the recovery period.
What Is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy, which is also known as Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive procedure used for treating painful joints and muscle problems. It’s a regenerative treatment that helps jump-start your body’s ability to regenerate new tissues.
Shockwave therapy helps reduce or relieve your pain at the site of the injury by causing microtrauma which attracts more blood flow to the area and stimulates new tissue growth. It is essentially prescribed for patients with sports injuries, like a pulled hamstring or golfer’s elbow as well as those experiencing heel pain such as plantar fasciitis.
How Does It Work?
Shockwave therapy at our clinic in Charlotte, NC, is administered directly to your skin, targeting the affected area. It is a pain relief treatment that uses low-energy sound or acoustic waves to radiate a shockwave that encompasses the affected muscle, tendon, or joint. Hence, shockwave therapy is only targeted at areas that are injured or damaged.
To treat your sports injury with shockwave therapy, Dr. Ahmad, our physiatrist in Charlotte, NC, will apply an ultrasound gel to the skin of the targeted area to help transmit shockwaves through the skin. Next, with a hand-held device (connected to a machine that converts compressed air into sound waves) he’ll gently apply light pressure and move the device over the affected area.
The sound wave allows for the seamless flow to the area, and may also cause minor inflammation. However, in the days following your treatment, your body will naturally heal the inflammation, and in the process, stimulate the regeneration and repair of cells. This therefore causes the damaged or injured tissues to repair and you start experiencing relief from the associated pain.
Examples of Sports Injuries and Joint Pains Treated with Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy is beneficial for individuals with sports or overuse injuries, joint, bone, and soft tissue (muscle, ligaments, and tendons) conditions. It can also work wonders for patients undergoing physiotherapy for diverse complaints.
Some common conditions shockwave therapy can help treat include:
- Golfer elbow (pain occurring on the inner side of your elbow).
- Achilles tendinopathy (pain in the tendon that connects the back of your foot to the calf muscle).
- Tennis elbow (pain occurring on the outer side of your elbow).
- Iliotibial band syndrome (pain of the knee that stretches from the outside of your hip, down to your outer thigh, to your outer knee, caused by cycling and running).
- Plantar fasciitis (pain in the underside of your foot).
- Bony heel spurs.
- Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints).
- Patellofemoral syndrome (runner’s knee).
- Strained calves and hamstrings.
- Stress fracture.
- Rotator cuff injuries.
When Is Shockwave Therapy Not a Suitable Treatment?
Before scheduling a shockwave treatment, you must consult your doctor to determine if it’s the most appropriate treatment for someone with your condition. While shockwave therapy doesn’t cause any significant side effects for most individuals, there are some contraindications you should be aware of.
Our physiatrist at Advanced Sports and Spine will examine your medical history first before proceeding with the treatment. However, we will not administer shockwave therapy:
- If you have a blood clotting disorder or take any blood thinning or anticoagulant medications.
- If you’re pregnant.
- If you have a nerve disorder.
- If you have infections in the area that require treatment.
- If you have received a steroid injection to treat the same issue in the last 6 weeks.
- Near the brain or spine.
- On malignant tumors or nearby tissues.
- Near the lungs.
Treatment and Recovery Period
With shockwave therapy, you can easily and immediately return home, and to your work or daily activities. However, it’s imperative that you avoid high-impact exercises, such as playing tennis, cycling, or running for two daysafter treatment.
Should you feel any discomfort, Dr. Ahmad will prescribe some medications to help manage it. However, you must avoid taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkiller. This can counteract with the effect of the treatment..
Finally, you may experience swelling and redness in the treated area a few days after the shockwave therapy. Sometimes, it can aggravate the pain a little bit, but don’t worry, this is a sign that the healing process has begun. The feeling is normal and will go away within a day or two.
Manage Mild or Major Sports Injuries with Shockwave Therapy in Charlotte, NC
Our shockwave treatment in Charlotte, NC, can significantly improve various forms of sports or overuse injuries, as well as pains in the joints and soft tissues of the body. However, you may require about four to six sessions of shockwave therapy with our physiatrist before significant relief is noticed. Dr. Ahmad will be able to discuss more about your particular condition and expectations when you visit our clinic for treatment. Schedule an appointment with us today to learn more about the treatment and how it can help manage your sports injuries or joint pains effectively.