A group of us were kindly taken out to Storz Medical AG Switzerland on Tuesday 5th June by VennHealthCare associated with Storz Medical Shockwave Therapy Shockwave Therapy is used widely in hospitals for Kidney Stones and 30 years later development research and production continues as shockwave therapy can be used as part of other medical management both in the Hospitals and in clinics
Extracts from shockwave therapy in practice SHOCK WAVES IN SPORTS MEDICINE by Heinz Lohere and Tanha Nauck
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) For treatment of musculoskeletal disorders was introduced about 25 years ago, more or less by accident. Following the first human use of shockwave therapy application to treat kidney stones in 1980, research was focused to investigate the effects and side of effects of shockwave transmission into the tissues between the skin and the kidney stone. Because bone and kidney stones were thought to have similar physical characteristics (hard material specific interest was initially put on the bone.
The next phase (first half of the 1990s) was driven by the assumption that the sympathetic radiopaque lesions in the rotator cuff (casa fine tendinopathy) and degenerative enthesiopathic insertional tendon lesions (planter fasciitis/heel spur and tennis elbow) could possibly be successfully targeted.
In the middle of the 1990s, the first devices for the specific orthopaedicESWT was introduced into the market. Compared with the devices used were kidney stones easier handling was achieved by direct coupling (gel) between the applicator and the skin instead of water immersion. Reduced maximum energy and aiming by ultrasound instead of fluoroscopy had big advantages.also the size of the apparatus and the costs were reduced
In 1995 , we Introduced focused caps ESWT into sports medicine and published the first related article, demonstrating 31% overall pain reduction for ESWT flight different overload sports injuries and 46% of these athletes were pain free when targeted with low-energy at the time, dose-related effects of musculoskeletal ESWT
In the last 1990s, the first-generation pressure wave devices were developed. This modality entered the market as radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy, composting to the traditional focus extra shockwave therapy with peak forces of focused shockwave’s be about a hundred times higher and the pulse duration of the focus way about 1000 times shorter .
Here is some interest Success Stories on using Radial Shockwave Therapy for Chronic Knee Pain
Shockwave Therapy is only part of the rehabilitation Exercise Prescription Assessment and attending your GP or Consultant or Hospital for Medical investigations and imaging is essential as Shockwave Therapy is often used in the Hospital Clinical complete with Diagnostic Ultra Sound or MRI in Europe. In Germany the Orthopeadic Surgeons and the Sports Consultants are all trained in Diagnostic Ultra Sound which is important if possible before have any quality rehabilitation for an MKS condition