What is Shockwave Therapy, and What’s it Used For?
If you’ve been dealing with a stubborn foot or ankle problem and it’s something that’s been hanging around for months, that you’ve tried to stretch and rest and ice your way through without much luck, there’s a good chance shockwave therapy has come up. Maybe a podiatrist mentioned it, maybe you found it while Googling your symptoms, or maybe someone at work swears it fixed their heel pain.
Whatever brought you here, the questions tend to be the same: what actually is it, how does it work, and is it really going to help?
Here’s what you need to know.
What is shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy, formally called ESWT, or Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy, is a non-invasive treatment that delivers pulses of acoustic energy through the skin and into damaged tissue. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with electric shocks. The “shockwaves” are pressure waves, similar in nature to sound waves, and the process is painless enough that no anaesthetic is required.
The treatment is delivered via a handheld device pressed against the skin over the affected area. Sessions are typically short, sometimes only 10 to 15 minutes, and most treatment plans involve a small number of sessions rather than an ongoing commitment.
It’s been used in medicine for decades (it was originally developed to break up kidney stones) and its application to musculoskeletal injuries is backed by a solid body of clinical research. This isn’t an experimental or fringe treatment either, it’s a well-established tool in podiatry and sports medicine that’s used widely around the world.
What does it actually do to the tissue?
This is where it gets interesting, because shockwave doesn’t just mask pain, rather, it targets the underlying reasons a chronic injury isn’t healing. There are a few key mechanisms at work.
Chronic injuries can become stuck. The normal healing process – inflammation, tissue repair, remodelling – stalls somewhere along the way, and rather than recovering, the tissue sits in a kind of deteriorating limbo. Shockwave creates a controlled level of microtrauma at the injury site, which the body reads as a low-level new injury. This effectively restarts the healing cascade, getting the repair process moving again when it’s been stalled for months.
It also stimulates blood flow to the area. Better circulation brings the oxygen, growth factors, and nutrients the tissue needs to actually repair and rebuild – things that a chronic injury is often lacking precisely because the healing process has shut down.
On top of that, shockwave stimulates collagen production. Tendons, fascia, and ligaments are predominantly made of collagen fibres, and after injury that collagen is often damaged or disorganised. The treatment encourages the body to produce new, healthy collagen to restore tissue’s strength and function over time.
And for people dealing with pain that’s been going on for a long time, shockwave also helps reduce the chemicals that drive chronic pain sensitisation – meaning people often notice a reduction in pain levels even before the underlying tissue has fully healed.
There are two types – and the difference matters
Not all shockwave is the same, and this is something worth understanding if you’re exploring your options.
Radial shockwave spreads energy outward from the tip of the device across a broader area of tissue. It’s well-suited to more superficial conditions or injuries that affect a wider region, and it’s been used clinically for decades. For many common foot conditions, radial shockwave is exactly the right tool.
Focused shockwave works differently. Rather than spreading outward, it converges energy to a precise focal point deep within the tissue. This means that it can target a specific structure at a specific depth with a level of accuracy that radial shockwave can’t match. For deeper conditions, or for cases that haven’t responded to radial shockwave or other treatments, focused shockwave can make a real difference.
At Hurst Podiatry we offer both radial and focused shockwave therapy-– which matters more than it might sound. Many clinics only have one type available, which means the treatment gets applied regardless of whether it’s actually the right fit for that particular condition. Having both technologies means your podiatrist can choose the approach that gives you the best chance of a good outcome, rather than working with whatever happens to be available.
What conditions is it used for?
Shockwave is most commonly used for chronic or slow-to-heal musculoskeletal conditions – the kind of injuries that haven’t responded well to rest, stretching, or other conservative treatments. In podiatry, the most frequent uses include:
If your condition isn’t on this list, that doesn’t necessarily mean shockwave wouldn’t be appropriate, it just means the best way to find out is to come in for an assessment and have a podiatrist take a proper look.
Is it going to hurt?
Honestly, it’s not particularly comfortable over an already-tender area. Most people describe a strong pressure or tapping sensation, and it can feel a little intense over the first minute or so of a session. But it’s well tolerated, it’s over quickly, and the discomfort is manageable.
Some people notice increased soreness for a day or two after treatment as the healing response kicks in – that’s normal and expected. Most people find that settles quickly and that each subsequent session is easier than the last as the tissue starts to respond.
How many sessions does it take?
This varies depending on the condition, how long it’s been going on, and how the tissue responds. Most treatment plans involve three to six sessions, usually spaced a week apart. Your podiatrist will give you a clearer picture at your assessment and will reassess as you go rather than committing you to a fixed number upfront.
Shockwave is almost always used as part of a broader treatment plan rather than in isolation. Depending on your situation, that might include footwear advice, load management, specific exercises, or orthotics and your podiatrist will map that out with you.
How Hurst Podiatry can help
If you’ve got a foot or ankle problem that’s been dragging on – particularly one that hasn’t responded to other treatments – shockwave therapy is worth a serious look. No referral is needed to book with us, and your podiatrist will be upfront about whether shockwave is likely to be the right fit for your specific situation.
Book an appointment with the team at Hurst Podiatry today. Kilsyth or Healesville – we’ve got you covered.
