Lower back pain continues to be one of the biggest gripes that the population struggles with. This is especially true for those who work in an office environment and sit almost consistently. While the challenges associated with the pain tend to start on the mild end of the spectrum, left untreated, some serious problems could be on the horizon.
If you’re in Edmonton and suffer from chronic lower back pain, you may want to consider taking advantage of shockwave therapy as a form of treatment. If this concept is new to you, have no fair. Here’s a brief high-level overview of what the process entails.
Understanding Shockwave Therapy
This process was first developed to help urologists with breaking apart kidney stones non-invasively since the 1980s. However, orthopedic applications would be visited, which led to the realization that the treatment was very adept at improving fracture healing.
It would go on to be recognized for its ability to assist in the rehabilitation of several musculoskeletal conditions. The International Society for medical shockwave therapy treatments has communicated that shockwave therapy has pretty minor side effects if any, which makes it the perfect treatment option for a plethora of persons suffering from chronic low back pain.
How the Shockwave Therapy Process Works
An acoustic wave is used to take energy to the pain points. The said wave penetrates the skin and radiates through the tendon, joint, or muscle that requires relief. Though the focus here is on chronic variations of the pain, the treatment method also works for acute variations.
Therefore, beyond patients who may have long-standing challenges, sports medicine doctors, for example, have used this kind of treatment style to get their athletes back on track.
Shockwave therapy can be categorized as radial or focal extracorporeal. At Unpain Clinic we combine three types of shockwaves to achieve the maximum results. A typical treatment would be; Radial Shockwave to release muscles and break down scars tissues and adhesions up to 4 cm or 1.5 inches deep. Then we use a Focal shockwave to stimulate regeneration of the injured tissue at a depth over 12 cm or 4 inches. The last step is the activation of gluteal muscles using a low focal shockwave that has more activation properties for the muscles.
Light pressure is then used to move the device over the affected area. Even in cases where fibrosis is present, the shockwave helps to break down the scar tissue while it stimulates healing.
Note that while you may feel somewhat better after the first treatment, patients typically require 3 to 5 appointments to get lasting relief.
Benefits of the Procedure
Some of the benefits of using shockwave therapy to treat chronic low back pain are as follows:
- Stimulation of collagen production, which is essential for repairing ligament and skeletal damage
- Reversal of chronic inflammation, which combats damaged tissue and reduces pain
- Release trigger points that may be causing your pain
- Dissolution of calcified fibroblasts
- Ridding patients of “substance P,” which is a neurotransmitter responsible for the creation of intense and longstanding pain in the body
Conclusion: Why Unpain Clinic for Edmonton Shockwave Therapy?
Unpain Clinic provides shockwave therapy in Edmonton since 2011 to assist patients with chronic low back pain. One of the biggest reasons you want Unpain at your side is the understanding of uniqueness across the shockwave technology and different patients. Experience is certainly vital in these applications. However, it is important to realize that proper evaluation and execution are necessary.
Therefore, treatment begins with an analytical phase to help identify the underlying causes of your challenges, after which a personalized treatment plan is developed and carried out.
Reach out today for your evaluation!