Shockwave Therapy Benefits For Knee Pain and Tendonitis

Shockwave Therapy Benefits For Knee Pain and Tendonitis

Suffering from persistent knee pain or tendonitis? Discover the unexpected benefits of shockwave therapy, a revolutionary treatment that's providing relief to countless individuals. Learn how this non-invasive procedure can accelerate healing, reduce pain, and improve your mobility. 

If you're specifically dealing with knee tendonitis, patellar tendinopathy, bone on bone knee pain or osteoarthritis, shockwave therapy could be a game-changer. This treatment uses high-energy sound waves to help naturally heal muscles, tendons, cartilage, collagen and bones. 

Interested in shockwave therapy benefits for your chronic knee pain and you don't want to get more Cortisone shots, or you are desperately trying to avoid knee replacement surgery? Dive into our detailed guide and find out why extra corporeal shockwave therapy, (ESWT), might be the solution you've been searching for to regain your active lifestyle.

 

Key Takeaways

  • Shockwave therapy is effective for treating knee pain, with success rates of up to 80% for conditions like Patellar Tendonitis, bone on bone knee pain and knee osteoarthritis

  • Treatment sessions typically last 5-10 minutes and may resolve symptoms in 8-10 sessions over 6-8 weeks.  More severe knee conditions like meniscus tears and cartilage degeneration can take longer to heal, patients should expect significant improvements within 3-4 months.

  • This non-invasive method allows for immediate resumption of daily activities after treatment.  Right after a ESWT session the patient can leave the office and do their regular activities of driving, shopping and light duty work.  It is recommended that the patient not overdo it to where they would be irritating their injury and working against the treatment. 

  • Shockwave therapy has shown minimal side effects compared to traditional treatments.  Common side effects are minimal pain, redness and swelling; these symptoms are usually gone within a couple hours of the treatment.  

  • It's suitable for a variety of knee conditions, helping to avoid repeated steroid injections, strong medicine, orthoscopic surgery or knee replacement surgery.

 

Understanding Knee Pain and Its Common Causes

Knee pain is a common issue for people of all ages and backgrounds. It's important to know what causes it to find the right treatment. Knee pain can come from injuries, autoimmune conditions, arthritis, or repetitive overuse damage. Knowing these causes helps you choose the best treatment to give you the outcomes you would like.  Ask yourself do you want mainstream medical treatment or alternative medicine treatments.  All choose the treatment and doctor based on what your expectations are when you have completed therapy or a procedure.  Some patients just want to get out of pain, they are not very active and they just want to feel comfortable.  Most patients want to be active, doing their daily hobbies and sports without pain; this is a big reason they choose shockwave therapy. So let your doctor know, if you just want to be out of pain, or if you are planning to run a 1/2 marathon, work in the garden every day or travel the world to go hiking. 

 

Overview of Knee Pain

Knee pain can be from sudden injuries or ongoing conditions. It can also come from lifestyle, too much exercise, or general wear and tear from aging. This pain can make movement difficult and affect your daily routine whether it be shopping, walking your dog, playing pickleball or just getting up and down your stairs at your house. Shockwave therapy for knee pain is a new, non-surgical way that helps a lot of people.

 

Common Conditions Leading to Knee Pain

Many conditions can cause knee pain:

  • Osteoarthritis: This is a joint disease that wears down cartilage, causing pain and stiffness.  Most patients who are over age 50 and who are active have some level of arthritis in their knees.  Osteoarthritis paired with patellar tendonitis and meniscus tears is very commonly seen in shockwave therapy offices. 

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis: An autoimmune disorder that leads to inflammation and damage in the knee joints.  RA is autoimmune, meaning that your body is attacking its own knee joint and joint surfaces.  This is a more severe condition to deal with and works best if the patient is doing all the right things to limit the inflammatory response, like taking supplements, exercising and being on a strict diet. 

  • Ligament Injuries: Injuries like ACL or PCL tears cause pain and make the knee unstable.  We usually see this in athletes, twisting and compressing the knee is what stresses the ACL and PCL the most, this is very common in football, basketball, pickleball, soccer and lacrosse. 

  • Tendonitis: Tendons around the knee can get inflamed, especially in athletes. Patellar tendonitis is the most common.  When you have muscle imbalances around the knee it causes tracking problems; this puts extra strain on the patellar tendon and eventually causes tendonitis. Shockwave therapy significantly helps these conditions as well as the right corrective exercises to help strengthen and stabilize the knee. 

  • Bursitis: This is inflammation of the bursae, small sacs that cushion the knee joint.

 

Millions of people worldwide deal with these knee pain conditions. Knowing your symptoms is key. Shockwave therapy benefits for knee pain are many, this is a new, cutting-edge, non-invasive treatment that works by stimulating your body to naturally heal itself. Studies show it reduces pain, minimizes inflammation, and helps to regenerate damaged tissues like muscle, cartilage, bone and collagen. 

When looking for ways to manage knee pain, knowing about these conditions helps. Talking to your doctor about what's causing your pain can lead to better treatment options. This can ultimately help you choose the right treatment for your goals and expectations. 

 

The Science Behind Shockwave Therapy

Shockwave therapy is a new way to treat musculoskeletal and extremity issues. It helps with pain, inflammation and helps tissues heal. Let's dive into the science behind this treatment to see why it's becoming more popular among medical doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists. 

 

What is Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave therapy sends high-energy sound waves to injured areas for conditions like frozen shoulder, lateral epicondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, jumper's knee, Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. These waves help creating a healing response by agitating the injured area; the waves help to bring in healing stem cells, oxygen and nitric oxide. You'll need eight to ten treatments over six to eight weeks, each lasting 5-10 minutes. Most people find the sessions pretty easy to handle, with little to no pain. 

 

How Shockwave Therapy Works

This therapy works by boosting blood flow, reducing inflammation, bring healing cells into the injured area, all together this activates a healing response.  This ESWT also breaks down scar tissue, helping with tissue regeneration and bone healing. Shockwaves kickstart the body's repair processes, easing pain and improving mobility over time.

Studies show it helps with healing at the tendon-bone junction and boosts cell and collagen production. This highlights the benefits of extracorporeal shock wave therapy.

Shockwave Therapy Benefits for Knee Pain and Tendonitis

ESWT is becoming more popular for treating knee pain and tendonitis. these shockwave therapy benefits that can help in multiple ways with your recovery.  Extra Corporeal Shockwave Therapy, (ESWT), is all natural, and non-surgical, many knee pain sufferers are choosing this therapy because there is no downtime and little to no side effects compared to mainstream medical treatments. 

 

Pain Relief

Many people feel a lot less pain after shockwave therapy, most within the first session. It works better than some traditional treatments for knee pain. ESWT rapidly reduces inflammation naturally and this is why is can create such a significant reduction in pain. Each treatment builds on the last one, after the typical protocol of 8-10 visits; most patients are feeling great and are more active and pain free. 

 

Improved Functionality

Shockwave therapy can make your knee be more mobile; patients want to be able to walk, go upstairs, run and garden without pain and ESWT is making that happen. It helps you get back to doing everyday activities, hobbies and playing sports again. When shockwave therapy is combined with physical therapy, chiropractic and corrective exercises it works even faster for healing and recovery. 

 

Decreased Inflammation

This therapy also reduces inflammation in the knee and boosts blood flow to speed up healing. This is great for people with knee bursitis and tendinopathies.  Most people with chronic knee pain are not healing because of too much inflammation. If you have severe knee inflammation and you are trying to do physical therapy or chiropractic, the results won't be that good.  You first have to get rid of the inflammation, and then the body can respond better to strengthening exercises. 

 

Increased Collagen Production

Shockwave therapy also boosts collagen production. Collagen is important for fixing damaged tissues. This is especially good news for those looking to improve tendon and ligament recovery in the patellar tendon, meniscus and collateral ligaments of the knee. 

 

Benefit Description
Pain Relief Significant reduction in pain compared to traditional treatments.
Improved Functionality Encouragement of greater mobility and return to daily activities.
Decreased Inflammation Reduction in swelling and inflammation around the knee.
Increased Collagen Production Enhanced healing of damaged tissues and structures.

 

Types of Shockwave Therapy and Their Applications

Exploring shockwave therapy for knee injuries means learning about the different types and how they work. Modalities like radial shockwave therapy (RSWT), focused shockwave therapy (FSWT), and acoustic wave therapy (AWT) each have unique benefits. They target different issues effectively.

 

Different Types of Shockwave Therapy

Let's look at the main types of shockwave therapy:

  • Radial Shockwave Therapy (RSWT): This type sends shockwaves over a wide area. It's great for treating surface-level issues like tendonitis and bursitis.

  • Extra Corporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT): It's more intense and precise, perfect for deeper tissue problems like calcific tendonitis, osteoarthritis and fractures.

  • Acoustic Wave Therapy (AWT): This uses low-frequency sound waves for both muscle and bone treatments.

 

Specific Conditions Treated with Shockwave Therapy

Shockwave therapy is great for treating many knee conditions. It helps with pain and improves function. Here are some conditions it helps with:

  • Knee Osteoarthritis: It relieves pain and boosts function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

  • Meniscal Tears: Focused shockwave therapy helps heal meniscal tears by improving blood flow and tissue repair.

  • Tendinopathies: Radial shockwave therapy treats tendon injuries by starting the healing process naturally.

These treatments are non-invasive, so you don't need anesthesia or a long recovery. Many people feel better within 24 to 48 hours after their first session. This shows how effective shockwave therapy is for knee pain and injuries.

 

Conclusion

Shockwave therapy is a promising way to help with knee pain and healing from tendonitis. Studies show it works well for pain relief and improving function. It also helps reduce swelling and aid in tissue repair.

This treatment is non-invasive, which means it doesn't involve surgery. It could greatly improve your mobility and quality of life. Many studies show it can change lives for people with chronic pain.

For those with knee pain or injuries, shockwave therapy could be a game-changer. It's backed by strong evidence and could be a key step towards feeling better and being more active.  It is by far the number one choice for non-invasive knee pain relief therapy. 

 

FAQ

What is shockwave therapy?

Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment. It uses high-energy shockwaves to help heal musculoskeletal and extremity issues. This is especially helpful for knee pain, elbow pain, carpal tunnel, rotator cuff syndrome and tendonitis.

 

How does shockwave therapy help with knee pain?

This therapy boosts tissue healing by improving blood flow and cellular activity. It also helps break down scar tissue and regenerate damage muscle, tendon and cartilage. This overall healing response decreases pain and help improve joint mobility in knees, shoulders, wrists and ankles. 

 

What are the benefits of shockwave therapy for tendonitis?

ESWT offers great pain relief, reduces inflammation and brings in more blood flow. It also helps increase mobility and boosts collagen production using stem cells, oxygen and nitric oxide. This is very helpful for people with tendonitis and inflammation, especially in the knee.

 

Are there different types of shockwave therapy?

Yes, there are different types. Radial shockwave therapy (RSWT) and focused, extra corporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) are two examples. Each is used for different conditions and tissue depths. 

 

What conditions can shockwave therapy treat besides knee pain?

It can treat many conditions. These include tendonitis, bursitis, osteoarthritis, and injuries like ligament or meniscal tears.  Commonly treated conditions that respond well to shockwave therapy are frozen shoulder, impingement syndrome, biceps tendinitis, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. 

 

How many sessions of shockwave therapy will I need?

The number of sessions depends on how severe the condition is. Most people start to see improvement after a few sessions. For less severe conditions patients can expect to see a significant improvement in pain relief and mobility within 8-10 sessions. For more severe conditions such as bone on bone knee pain, post-surgical knee rehab or ligament/tendon tears the patient can expect to see improvements within 3 sessions and full recovery within 3-4 months. 

 

What type of patients respond best to shockwave therapy for knee pain?

Specific knee pain conditions that respond best to extra corporeal shockwave therapy, (ESWT), are: patellar tendonitis, medial meniscus tears, jumper's knee, chondromalacia patella, knee osteoarthritis, knee bursitis, knee sprains and strains, and bone on bone knee pain. Patients who respond the best and get the results they are looking for are doing the home/corrective exercises, they are following the recommended treatment plan from the doctor, (10 visits within 6-8 weeks), they are taking nutritional supplements to help with joint support and inflammation, and they are making sure not to overdo it or re-injure their knee injury or condition.  The body takes an average of 6-8 weeks to heal tissue damage, it is very important that the knee pain patient understand this and let the healing happen. 

 

Is shockwave therapy safe?

Yes, it's safe and non-invasive. The main side effects are mild discomfort or swelling in the treated area.  ESWT basically reduces inflammation and improves blood flow, almost all inflammatory conditions and arthritis would improve by using this treatment. Younger patients, under age 25, would not do ESWT over their joints, the therapy is used only over muscle injuries. 

Hamel Chiropractic and Wellness