Tendons connect the muscles to the bones from our head down to our toes, and those in the elbow, heel, knee, shoulder, and wrist are more prone to developing tendinopathy, a broad term used for any tendon condition that causes pain and swelling. Tendinopathy is often difficult to treat, and many people – athletes and nonathletes alike – are stuck suffering with it.
Sports medicine physicians at Mayo Clinic are changing that. “There are several new and different treatments available to patients with tendon pain; specifically, there is something called shockwave therapy,” explains Jeffrey Payne, M.D., sports medicine physician, Mayo Clinic Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Shockwave therapy works by facilitating a healing response within the tendon and offers an option for those with chronic tendinopathy or who haven’t responded to previous treatments. Currently, shockwave therapy is being used to help promote healing and reduce pain in patients diagnosed with tendinopathy at Mayo’s Orthopedics and Sports Medicine locations in Minneapolis and Rochester.
Because it is noninvasive and does not require much time commitment or recovery time, shockwave therapy proves to be an excellent option for athletes (whether professional or weekend warriors) who have not responded to traditional first-line treatments. It can provide an alternative to the more invasive treatments or surgeries that would require time off and possibly mean the early end of a season.
How it works
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive treatment that delivers focused high-energy acoustic waves to reduce pain and promote healing and repair. “An acoustic wave is delivered directly to the area of injury to create microtrauma and try to initiate a healing response, especially for an injury that has lasted for some time. Shockwave therapy can help to reinitiate and facilitate that healing response within the tendon,” explains Dr. Payne.
What happens during a shockwave therapy session?
Often, a physical therapist will administer the therapy. They start by localizing the patient’s area of discomfort, which has been identified previously upon physical examination. Gel is applied to the skin, followed by the device. “For instance, if someone has an issue with their common extensor tendon, which is commonly referred to as tennis elbow, the gel is placed on the skin in that area where the patient is experiencing pain,” says Dr. Payne. “The shockwave device is then placed onto the tendon, where the abnormality is, and the patient experiences the acoustic waves in the area.” This lasts for about five to fifteen minutes, and the physical therapist can adjust the intensity of the waves. The treatment is generally well-tolerated, and side effects may include mild bruising, swelling, pain, and numbness or tingling in the treated area.
Typically, there is one treatment per week for three to five weeks, with each treatment session lasting less than 30 minutes. There is no long recovery period required for shockwave therapy.
Positive Outcomes
“Studies have shown that shockwave therapy can help to decrease a patient’s pain and increase a patient’s function,” says Dr. Payne. Further clinical trials have provided evidence that shockwave therapy is a safe option to treat tendinopathy.
Patients are front and center in everything we do at Mayo, and our orthopedics and sports medicine experts continue to develop, study, and utilize innovative techniques such as shockwave therapy to get you back to the sport you love as quickly and safely as possible.
For more information, or to make an appointment, please visit sportsmedicine.mayoclinic.org.
