Shock Wave Therapy

Shock wave therapy was first used in Germany and Eastern Europe by orthopaedic surgeons to treat non-union fractures. They used lithotripters, which were used for breaking kidney stones, to send shock waves onto the fractures. The first papers were presented at professional conferences starting in 1991.

Since then the therapy has been extended to treat a number of soft tissue applications with excellent results. Kidney stone lithotripters provide shock waves with a narrow focus (requiring X-ray and ultrasound to correctly direct the shock waves). The concentrated shocks can be painful. The forces are higher than those needed for soft tissue applications and so anaesthesia is required.

Medispec pioneered a better approach. Their Orthospec provides energy distributed over a larger area, up to 35mm diameter and 110mm depth, which is less painful and which does not need either X-ray or ultrasound to direct the therapeutic shock waves. Anaesthetic is not needed.

In addition to being less painful, treatments with the Orthospec are of shorter duration and fewer sessions are needed than with other systems.

From 1 to 3 short (about 10-15 minute) treatment sessions are needed for treating conditions such as Tennis Elbow and Golf Elbow, Plantar Fasciitis, Achillodynia, Patellar Tendonitis and Calcific Tendonitis of the shoulder. For these conditions, clinical experience shows a 70% success rate treating patients who have failed other treatment methods and who have had chronic pain for over 6 months.

In the UK, the Orthospec shock wave system is being used to treat patients at

The Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, Physiotherapy Department in London, Telephone 020 7286 5126,         and

Woodlands Hospital, The Treatment Room, in Darlington, Tel 01325 341712

Orthospec Clinical Evaluation

Summary sheet for principal Soft Tissue Applications

Clinical evaluation of the Orthospec Shock Wave Therapy equipment was carried out in 7 locations in 3 countries treating over 200 patients with a variety of soft tissue chronic pain conditions lasting over 6 months and that had not responded to conservative treatments.

Principal areas of use are indicated below with the total number of patients included in each category within the study.

A full resume of this study is available from Genesis Medical.

In summary, this study demonstrates that successful management can be obtained with these disorders can that they can be treated with just a few (1-2 treatment sessions.

There is an excellent book on Shock Wave Therapy written by experts:  

Musculoskeletal Shockwave Therapy

by Richard Coombes et al

Other Soft Tissue Conditions

Shock wave therapy may be used to treat a wide range of conditions including Achillodynia, Patella tendonitis. In general 1500-3000 shocks are delivered in 10-15 minutes and from 1 to 3 treatments are needed for success in a majority of cases.

For Achillodynia, in a clinical trial involving long term sufferers where conservative treatments failed, 84.6% showed improvement for pain and 92.3% improvement in function. For Patella tendonitis, pain and function improved 76.1%.

Early clinical trials have started for treating hip and knee arthritis and the results are encouraging.

The shocks are delivered using the Orthospec shock wave system.