Whether you’re training for a big event or simply for your personal best, it’s frustrating when an injury slows you down. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is the only health system in the region to offer sports shockwave therapy, a non-invasive type of regenerative medicine that uses energy waves to encourage healing and relieve pain.

Sports shockwave therapy can be used for all the most common sports injuries, including those affecting the shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, leg, ankle and foot. Most importantly, it can help you recover and return to what moves you as quickly as possible.

Benefits of Shockwave Therapy

Also known as extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT), shockwave therapy is a safe, effective treatment option for a variety of reasons, including:

  • It’s non-invasive, which means it’s done without cutting or putting anything in your body, and it doesn’t require any prescriptions or steroids.
  • It can improve recovery time, with many patients noticing results right away or within just a few sessions.
  • It’s painless, with most people reporting only mild discomfort.

Plus, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is home to the region’s most specialized orthopaedic team, with orthopaedic doctors, podiatrists, sports medicine specialists and more. No matter your injury, you can feel confident you’re in the best, most experienced hands every step of the way.

How Shockwave Therapy Works

Your provider will use a handheld device similar to a massage gun, which sends pulsed, high-energy waves into the injured area. These waves help enhance blood circulation, break down scar tissue and encourage your body to heal.

Shockwave therapy is a quick procedure, usually lasting 10 to 20 minutes, and results are seen relatively soon. Though it can take 3 to 5 sessions to feel the full effect, you may even notice some improvement right away.

Side effects are generally mild, with the most common being:

  • Pain at the treatment site
  • Bruising or swelling
  • Skin redness
  • Short-term numbness and tingling at the treatment site

Depending on where your injury is located and how severe it is, they may ask you to restrict physical activity for 24 to 48 hours. You’ll also need to avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) and corticosteroids for 2 weeks.

While shockwave therapy is effective on its own, your care team may also recommend physical therapy, which can further aid in your recovery.

Is Shockwave Therapy Right for Me?

Shockwave therapy is an option for all types of athletes, from runners to dancers to golfers, as well as individuals who lead active or physically demanding lifestyles. It’s especially beneficial if you’ve had limited success with other treatments.

Because it can target injured muscles, tendons and ligaments, shockwave therapy can treat a range of injuries throughout the body, from rotator cuff injuries and tennis elbow to tendonitis and plantar fasciitis.

While it’s an option for many, it’s not recommended if you are pregnant, have an infection or cancer in the injured area, recently received a cortisone infection, or have a bleeding disorder.

Care and Treatment

  • Achilles Tendonitis
  • Elbow Pain
  • Foot Pain
  • Hamstring Injuries
  • Hip Flexor Tendonitis
  • Knee Pain
  • Muscle Injury
  • Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
  • Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)
  • Medical Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow)
  • Patellar Tendonitis (Jumper’s Knee)
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
  • Shin Splints
  • Shoulder Pain
  • Tendinitis
  • Tendinosis
  • Wrist Pain