Recently the team at Healthzone Physiotherapy have acquired a new adjunct to treating those complicated, longstanding conditions that we all hate. Shockwave therapy was originally used to destroy kidney stones with a focused soundwave delivered into the tissue to break it apart. At lower intensities it is used to manage a variety of frustrating musculoskeletal injuries.
Research has focused on large tendons including the Achilles tendon, patellar tendon (jumpers knee), tennis and golfers elbow, and plantarfascia strains. However there is also growing evidence that shockwave can be used for a number of other conditions. Shockwave therapy essentially ‘shocks’ the body back into action after the condition has slowed to a chronic, low grade inflammatory response. When combined with an appropriate exercise programme there have been great res
ults with everyone from weekend warriors to high performance athletes including NZ Olympians and NZ Breakers basketball players. Shockwave has helped them get back to play sooner and with less pain.
Read what gym member and patient Kathy has to say about shockwave and get in touch if you are battling a longstanding injury!
“I injured my hamstring running the Waiheke wharf to wharf in January 2016. For a runner who doesn’t do “rest” I really was battling not being able to run pain free. After a number of visits to different physios with no improvement, my sports doctor recommended that I meet with David Cooper to discuss having shockwave therapy.
After four sessions there have been significant gains although even after the first session I was running freer, the pain was less frequent, and sitting for long periods was becoming more bearable.
I was able to run the Mount Maunganui half marathon and following it have remained pain free. My partner has recently had shockwave therapy for his plantarfascia injury which has been troubling him for a year. After 3 sessions he is also running pain free and is also an absolute convert. We would absolutely recommend shockwave therapy at Healthzone to anyone with these or other appropriate injuries.”
