Learn More About the Benefits of Shockwave Therapy!
Elevating not only the Standard of Care
for Pain Management but the
Quality of our pets lives!
WHat is Shockwave?
Shock wave therapy is applied superficially, and its focused, high-energy sound wave is released when it reaches an area of high acoustic impedance, such as a bone-tendon interface or the surface of a cell. This energy causes cells to exude an array of anti-inflammatory, angiogenic, and osteogenic proteins that modulate inflammation, increase blood supply, and lead to bone formation. Cytokines are released that return chronic conditions to the acute stage to initiate the healing process. Angiogenic growth factors are secreted that improve functional capillary density, allowing for a greater blood supply to the area and thus promoting healing. Bone morphogenetic protein is released to stimulate osseous regeneration. Shock waves also improve the fiber alignment in tendons and ligaments for improved quality of healing.
What is Shockwave used for?
Focused shockwave therapy is used to treat acute and chronic pain, principally in the muscles and tendons:
- Dysplasia/ malformations of the joint (e.g., hip, elbow)
- Spondylosis deformans/ chronic degenerative disease of the spine
- Tendinopathies (e.g., insertion tendinopathies of the proximal biceps tendon)
- Osteoarthritis (e.g., knee joint, metatarsophalangeal joints)
- Medial shoulder instability (lesion of the rotator cuff)
- Pseudarthrosis
- Cauda equina syndrome (compression syndrome)
- Peripheral ischemic neuromyopathy (bottom-hung window' trauma)
- Tendinopathy after TPLO or TTA (management of ruptured cranial cruciate ligament in dogs)
- Hygroma
- Muscle contractures (e.g., infraspinatus muscle)
- Calcifications/ Injuries of the supraspinatus muscle
What is trigger point shockwave therapy?
In many cases, pain is caused by distant trigger points located in associated muscle groups. Trigger points are tiny pain-sensitive zones in muscle which contract, leading to shortening of the muscle. Normal gait becomes impossible. The piezo shockwave is optimally designed to administer trigger point shockwave therapy (TPST). The focused acoustic pulse concentrates at a single point to precisely locate and immediately treat the trigger point.
Discover Shockwave for Dogs
Injuries to tendons and ligaments
Shock wave therapy has been proven to decrease inflammation and increase fiber alignment in tendons and ligaments. Supraspinatus tenosynovitis and injuries to biceps and the Achilles tendon have been successfully treated with shock waves. In a study performed at Seattle Veterinary Specialists, 87% of dogs with biceps or supraspinatus tendinopathies (particularly moderate-to-severe cases) had a good or excellent outcome after 1 to 3 treatments. The median follow-up time was 95 months. All patients received shock wave therapy without complications. In a prospective study of patellar ligament desmitis after tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO), shock wave significantly decreased ligament thickness compared to the control group
Osteoarthritis and non-neurologic back pain
Shock wave therapy has become an integral part of a multimodal approach to osteoarthritis management. By reducing inflammatory cytokines within the joint, cartilage degradation decreases (due to inhibition of chondrocyte apoptosis), thus has been shown to manage pain symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. At the University of Tennessee in 2010, 15 dogs with end-stage elbow osteoarthritis were assigned to receive 2 shock wave treatments or placed in a sham group. Those in the shock wave group showed significant improvement in peak braking and peak propulsion and had an increase of 4.5% in peak vertical force (PVF) compared with the sham group’s PVF decrease of 2.6%. For non-neurologic back pain, another study on 38 dogs and 2 cats showed a median lasting improvement of 13.5 months after a single treatment of the lumbosacral area. Of the 87% percent of patients that had a positive outcome, 77% showed results within one week. Clinical research is ongoing, with a lumbosacral pain study currently being conducted at The Ohio State University small animal veterinary hospital, sponsored by the Morris Animal Foundation
Chronic wounds
Shock wave therapy is now approved for the treatment of diabetic ulcers in humans and has been shown to improve skin flap healing.
Broken Bones
A study of 3 dogs showed that shock wave therapy accelerated the healing of fractures and osteotomies and was particularly effective for use in delayed union or trophic nonunion fractures. In these dogs, whose delayed union or nonunion was present more than 15 weeks after TPLO surgery, a single shock wave treatment resulted in complete union after 12 weeks. Another study showed shock wave treatments accelerated bone healing after TPLO. Patients received 2 shock wave treatments, the first immediately after surgery and the second two weeks later. Healing at 8 weeks was significantly higher in patients receiving treatment than in those in the sham group. All shock wave patients were considered completely healed at 8 weeks, compared with only half of those in the control group
Efficacy Of Treatment
Most pets respond positively to shockwave therapy. Typically, close to 70 percent benefit from the treatment. The other 15 percent show a slight improvement, while the other 15 percent do not respond to the therapy.
