Shock Wave Therapy (SWT) For Back Pain

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy or Shock Wave Therapy (SWT) can be used to treat a wide range of conditions that may lead to Lower Back Pain.
The structures affected/damaged may be the:

  1. Muscles
  2. Tendons
  3. Ligaments
  4. Joint Capsule
  5. Combination of 1-4

Commonly occurring muscular conditions are:

  1. Strain of Lumbar muscles i.e. Quadratus Lumborum, Erector Spinae
  2. Strain of Pelvic muscles i.e. Piriformis, Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Maximus

The muscle belly may be stretched, damaged, ripped or torn or the tendon or tendon insertion into the bone may be stretched or torn. The tear may be very mild or severe and in some cases still attached but severely torn.
In addition to the above, there may be further damage to the joint capsule and surrounding ligaments.

Scar Tissue

If an injury to the soft tissues has been there long enough, then scar tissue may occur and cause further long term restriction, muscle spasm and dysfunction. Once scar tissue is present, your body will adapt and try to work differently, this will put undue stress on other muscles leading to further pain, spasm and dysfunction. It is therefore better to get treatment at an early stage rather than leave the condition to manifest and cause further long term problems.

The Purpose of SWT

Shock Wave Therapy can help in many ways and can:

  1. Relax individual muscles or muscle groups
  2. Disperse Trigger Points within the affected muscle
  3. Create low level inflammation in order for the area to heal more quickly
  4. Break up long term scar tissue
  5. Increase the blood supply to the area

The Treatment Itself:

The treatment at best is uncomfortable, after all it is a physical treatment. However, it should not be unneccesarily painful. If the patient experiences too much discomfort, then the machine can be adjusted to the patient’s tolerance.
Most patients are pleased with the rapid results and glad they chose Shock Wave Therapy.

Once scar tissue is present, your body will adapt and try to work differently.