Who should not get shockwave therapy?

If you have a blood clotting disorder (including thrombosis) If you are taking oral anticoagulants. If you have received a steroid injection within 6 weeks If you have been given a pacemaker.

Shockwave therapy

is not covered by the OHIP. You may be covered by some extended benefit plans, check with your provider.

Like most types of treatments, surgeries, and medications, shockwave therapy isn't for everyone. Potential patients with heart disease and people with pacemakers should not be considered for this technique. People who take certain types of medications, usually drugs that affect blood clotting, would not be eligible for shock wave therapy. Children and pregnant women should also avoid this treatment option.

A probe is placed in the skin, where an electrical charge will begin to create shock waves in the areas that cause pain. Shockwave therapy is a treatment option for plantar fascia, a condition that causes inflammation and pain in the heel and foot. The quick recovery time of shockwave therapy makes it easy for patients to return to their daily routines. This non-invasive, non-surgical technique uses shock waves to treat various foot muscle problems to stimulate the body's own natural healing process to accelerate healing.

Shockwave therapy eliminates the risk factors associated with surgery, such as the use of anesthetics, and is less invasive. Shockwave therapy should be considered for patients who have not been successful in treatment or whose heel pain has lasted more than six months.

Extracorporeal shock wave

therapy (ESWT) appears to be an effective treatment for plantar fasciitis (PF) and is supposed to be safe. By using a series of wave pulses, shockwave treatments are applied directly to an injured area or to an area of persistent pain.

Due to the reduced cost of low-energy shockwave machines, many patients may have the impression that they have received “true shockwave therapy”. However, shock wave therapy should not be used in patients who have neuropathy or loss of sensation in their feet, or in those who suffer from seizures or a heart condition. Shockwave therapy is often recommended to those people suffering from chronic cases of Achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis. If you're dealing with chronic musculoskeletal foot pain that doesn't seem to respond to conservative treatments at home, such as ice, splinting or over-the-counter medications, it's time you talked to us about whether extracorporeal shockwave therapy can finally give you the relief you've been looking for.

In shock wave therapy, a device sends shock waves to the patient's body, which activate the body's repair mechanisms.