Cashmere Veterinary Clinic uses shockwave therapy to treat chronic pain of the musculoskeletal system since it is one of the most common debilitating conditions. The majority of these painful conditions are the result of enthesopathies (disorder involving the attachment of a tendon or ligament to a bone) such as tennis elbow, calcaneal heel spurs, or calcifications of the shoulder joint. Myofascial trigger points have also increasingly been diagnosed as major causes of chronic pain. Focused ESWT has now become established as a useful method for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic lesions in the soft tissue areas near bones of the posture and locomotor system (musculoskeletal system):
- Myofascial pain syndrome
- Insertion desmopathy
- Delayed Fracture Healing
- Tendinopathy
- Sesamoidosis
- Calcification
- Hip Dysplasia
- Osteo Arthritis
Efficacy of Focused ESWT
Extracorporeal shockwaves are mechanical stressors capable of inducing biochemical changes in living tissue; at a molecular level these changes can influence gene expression in cells and, if used selectively, can produce specific reactions in tissue. This process is referred to as mechanotransduction.
Mechanical stimuli can affect almost all cellular functions in living tissue, including growth, cell differentiation, cell migration, protein synthesis, physiological apoptosis and tissue necrosis. New studies have shown that ESWT is able to stimulate the endogenous production of lubricin in tendons and septa.
Scientific studies and publications, using the highly accurate piezo-shockwave technology, have confirmed the effectiveness of focused shockwaves for various common musculoskeletal conditions as well as trigger point diagnosis and treatment. ESWT is one of the few medical technologies which can treat chronic pain syndromes of the musculoskeletal system effectively by jump-starting self-healing processes.
Penetration Depth up to 60mm
The piezo shockwave technology uses interchangeable gel pads which contact the patient to ensure that the shockwave penetrates precisely to the desired depth with as little scattering as possible. These gel pads are used as spacers and change the penetration depth in increments of 5 mm. They accomplish this by drawing the therapy source’s static focal area incrementally superficial or deep respectively. Maximum penetration depths of between 20mm and 60mm are possible, depending on the therapy source.
The piezo-electric principle / focused
Piezo-ceramic elements are geometrically arranged on a concave surface so that when they are excited simultaneously by a brief, high-voltage pulse, they expand by a few micrometers to generate a pressure pulse.
The piezo elements are precisely aligned so that each pressure pulse generated focuses in a specific area. This precise focusing of the pulse creates a shockwave at the point of focus. The piezo shockwave’s direct focusing” technology eliminates the need for additional reflectors resulting in a compact therapy source design and a precise and well defined focal zone. The virtually painless therapy is applied quietly and energy levels can be freely adjusted with almost no adverse effect on the size of the focal zone. The piezo shockwave technology is extremely durable.
Piezo shockwave therapy sources are available with single-layer or double-layer technology, depending on the required energy levels, with peak pressures of up to 82 MPa