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What Is Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave Therapy, formally known as Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), uses rhythmic pulses of sound energy to stimulate the body’s natural healing response. There are no incisions, no injections, and no intense downtime. Instead, the treatment directs focused sound waves into areas of chronic tightness or degeneration—reactivating blood flow and cellular activity in tissues that have slowed or hardened over time.

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This same technology has been safely used in medicine for decades. In orthopedics and sports rehabilitation, it has been shown to:

• Improve circulation to stagnant, slow-healing tissue

• Break down calcified deposits or scar adhesions

• Stimulate fibroblasts and osteoblasts—the cells that repair soft tissue and bone

• Decrease nerve hypersensitivity and reduce chronic pain

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Each session lasts about 10 to 15 minutes. Most patients describe the sensation as light tapping or deep vibration—unusual but comfortable.

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How Does It Work?

Developed in the 1960s and refined through decades of medical research, Shockwave Therapy began as a tool to break up kidney stones. Later, researchers discovered its remarkable ability to stimulate healing instead of just breaking things apart.

When applied to muscles and joints, the acoustic energy activates the body’s natural repair pathways—much like rebooting a dormant system. It’s modern physics meeting the body’s own intelligence.

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Today, Shockwave Therapy is used worldwide for:

• Chronic tendinopathy (tennis elbow, rotator cuff, Achilles, plantar fascia)

• Hip or knee pain related to scar tissue or bone spurs

• Nerve entrapments or “burning” pain that hasn’t responded to other care

• Joint stiffness after injury or surgery

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It’s safe, FDA-cleared, and effective for both athletes and everyday patients seeking natural recovery.

 

Why Choose Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave Therapy offers a middle path—stronger than massage or stretching, yet gentler than surgery or injections. 

Compared to conventional treatments:

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• Steroid injections may bring short-term relief but can weaken tissue over time.

• PRP or stem-cell injections are powerful but costly 

• Dry needling is helpful for muscle tension but doesn’t address tendon or bone remodeling. And shockwave can release trigger points too!

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Shockwave Therapy bridges those gaps. It supports natural healing while you stay active, with minimal side effects or downtime.

 

Which Service to Choose?

Many patients ask whether Shockwave Therapy replaces chiropractic care and it does not. In fact, the two complement each other beautifully.

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Chiropractic adjustments restore alignment, release joint restrictions, and reawaken communication through the nervous system. This allows the body to function more efficiently and respond better to healing. However, even with perfect alignment, certain chronic injuries need additional support. When tendons, ligaments, or fascia have become dense or scarred, they benefit from a deeper regenerative stimulus.

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That’s where Shockwave Therapy comes in. This noninvasive technology uses focused sound waves to break down scar tissue and stimulate your body’s own repair hormones — including VEGF, eNOS, BMP, and PCNA — to remodel and rebuild healthy tissue from within.

 

Shockwave Therapy May Be Right for You If You:

• Want faster, targeted relief with minimal downtime

• Need support for one or two specific problem areas (elbow, hip, shoulder, or low back)

• Prefer short 10–15 minute sessions

• Have chronic, nagging pain that hasn’t resolved with stretching or exercise

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Chiropractic Care May Be Right for You If You:

• Prefer a whole-body, holistic approach — for example, understanding how an ankle imbalance affects your pelvis or spine

• Want integrated care that includes organ massage, soft-tissue therapy, rehab exercises, craniosacral work, and chiropractic adjustments

• Appreciate longer, more comprehensive visits (20–40 minutes)

• Are seeking to address the root cause of pain while improving overall body awareness and resilience

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When to Combine Both

If you see yourself in both categories, a combined care plan may be ideal.
Chiropractic care restores structure and nervous system balance, while Shockwave Therapy accelerates soft-tissue repair which together offers a deeper, faster path to healing.

 

Side Effects: Mild & Manageable

Most people describe shockwave therapy as a curious sensation — like being gently tapped or flicked from the inside. After a session, it’s common to notice mild tenderness, temporary swelling, or a light bruise in the treated area. Think of it as your body’s reminder that change is happening, as we are re-starting the inflammation process.

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Serious side effects are rare. The most frequent ones feel similar to post-workout soreness — a natural part of the body’s repair process. When performed by a trained clinician, the energy is precisely targeted, so what follows is usually just the quiet hum of healing as your tissues begin to restore balance and strength.

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When to Avoid Shockwave Therapy

While shockwave therapy is safe and effective for many people, it’s not appropriate for everyone. It should be avoided:

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• Over fresh tears or acute injuries

• On or near malignant tumors

• Near the womb during pregnancy

• In people with certain blood clotting disorders

• Over areas affected by psoriasis, open wounds, or skin infections

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If your pain is brand new, severe, or if surgery has already been recommended, your provider may guide you toward other options first. But if your discomfort has lingered—steady, stubborn, and slow to heal—shockwave therapy can help wake up the body’s deeper repair systems and invite long-awaited relief.

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The Posture Connection

At Dr. Debra Foxfern Chiropractic, we know that posture is more than how you stand—it’s how your body organizes energy and stress. If you’re going to go through reorganizing the tissues of the body, let’s make sure your day to day poses are not going to reinjure the site. That’s why posture exercises are part of every care plan that includes Shockwave Therapy.

 

While shockwave rejuvenates tissue and chiropractic restores alignment, posture retraining ensures that new patterns of healing movement can take root. This integrated approach creates a feedback loop of healing: structure supports function, function supports circulation, and circulation supports repair. It’s a holistic synergy rarely found in conventional offices.

 

The Final Word

Shockwave Therapy is a proven science that reminds your body how to heal itself. When combined with posture rehabilitation, it becomes a catalyst for renewal from the inside out.

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If your pain has lingered despite rest, therapy, or medication, this may be the next step that finally restores your comfort and confidence in movement. So I’ll leave the final word to you: mention this article when you book an exam, and receive 10% off your first shockwave visit.