Shockwave Therapy
Available at our Raynham, MA clinic
Acoustic-wave therapy that stimulates healing in chronic tendons and soft tissue.
Extracorporeal shockwave delivers focused acoustic energy into chronically painful tendons and soft tissue, triggering a controlled healing response and improving local blood flow.
In depth
What Shockwave Therapy actually does.
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) uses focused acoustic pulses — high-energy sound waves — to trigger a controlled healing response in soft tissue. It sounds dramatic, and it is powerful, but the experience in the office is a firm, rhythmic tapping over the painful area for a few minutes at a time.
The mechanism is what makes shockwave different from ultrasound or e-stim. Each pulse creates a microscopic mechanical stimulus that increases local blood flow, breaks down calcifications, and signals stem cells and fibroblasts to remodel damaged tissue. It restarts a healing process that stalled — usually months or years ago.
For chronic tendon pain, plantar fasciitis, and stubborn muscle trigger points, shockwave is often the fastest path from 'this has been hurting for a year' to 'I forgot about it this week.'
How it works
A clear, step-by-step process.
- 1Targeted exam and palpation to map the painful tissue
- 25–10 minute shockwave application per area
- 3Series of 4–6 sessions, typically weekly
- 4Re-test and progress to loading exercises
What it's used for
The specific problems Shockwave Therapy solves for our patients.
Plantar fasciitis
Heel pain that hasn't responded to stretching, orthotics, or injections.
Achilles and patellar tendinopathy
Chronic pain and thickening in tendons that never finished healing.
Lateral and medial epicondylitis
Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow that come back every time you use the arm.
Rotator cuff tendinopathy and calcific tendonitis
Especially useful when calcifications are visible on imaging.
Chronic myofascial trigger points
Tight, painful bands in muscle that manual therapy alone can't unwind.
Why patients choose it
- No needles, no anesthesia, no downtime
- 5–10 minutes per area, 4–6 sessions typical
- Directly targets calcifications and scar tissue
- Improves local circulation and stimulates real tissue remodeling
- Pairs well with PRP, laser, and loading exercises
Evidence & mechanism
Shockwave has been used clinically for over 30 years, originally for kidney stones. In orthopedics it is FDA-cleared for plantar fasciitis and chronic lateral epicondylitis, and numerous randomized trials show it outperforms placebo and often outperforms cortisone injections for chronic tendinopathy at 6- and 12-month follow-up.
Who is a good candidate
Shockwave is ideal for patients with chronic soft-tissue pain that has plateaued despite conservative care. It is not appropriate over active infections, tumors, growth plates in children, or in patients on active anticoagulation without medical clearance — we screen carefully.
Chronic tendons finally start moving again.
Most of our shockwave patients notice progress by session 3 or 4, and by the end of a 4–6 session series the majority report their pain is significantly better or resolved. When a case is stubborn, we combine shockwave with PRP and structured loading — that combination has rescued cases that had been chronic for years.
What to expect
Sessions are quick. Mild soreness is common; many patients notice progress by visit 3–4.
Conditions it may help
Honest answers
Common questions about shockwave therapy and regenerative medicine
We would rather answer the hard questions before you call than let uncertainty keep you from getting the help you need.
Answers
Shockwave Therapy: questions we hear most
Quick, honest answers to what patients ask most. Don't see yours? Call us — we're happy to talk it through.
Ready to start?
Talk to us about Shockwave Therapy
Talk through your goals, your imaging, and what regenerative medicine can — and can't — do for you. Honest answers, no pressure.