The Top 5 Ways to Optimize Your Shockwave Therapy Treatment Session
Shockwave therapy is a powerful tool in treating chronic injuries. Whether you’re managing tendonitis, arthritis, or another persistent injury, shockwave therapy provides immediate improvement in range of motion and reduction in pain for many. To get the most from each session, it’s important to integrate smart strategies and supportive practices to enhance the results. Here are the top five ways to ensure you get the full benefit of your shockwave therapy.
1. Prepare Your Body with Proper Fuel
Just like athletes fuel up before a performance, preparing your body for shockwave therapy with proper nutrition can enhance your experience and support healing. Eating a light meal or snack that includes a balanced mix of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates about an hour before your session can help you avoid lightheadedness or fatigue and give your body the nutrients it needs for receiving treatment and recovery. Staying hydrated is also crucial since well-hydrated tissues are healthier tissues, promoting faster recovery and greater improvement in mobility. Avoid coming to treatment on an empty stomach, or dehydrated from activity. It can tax the nervous system and make it more difficult for your body to settle in for treatment and the activities to follow. Healing is hard, a little bit of nourishment goes a long way!
2. Dressing the Part
Shockwave therapy addresses tissue deep beneath the skin’s surface, all the way down at the cellular level. That’s a long way! Wearing loose-fitting clothing like shorts if we are treating the hip, knee, or ankle, or a tank top if we are working on the shoulders, is key to allowing the clinician to deliver the treatment directly to the area where it’s needed.
Make the time during your session easier for you, your body, and your movement. Those new lulu lemon tights are cute, but are they restricting access to the treatment area and your ability to move and test the range of motions we are working on? How do they feel rolled up above the knee after 25 minutes of treatment? Loose, flowing clothing is great! Plus, think how much better you’ll feel and how confident you’ll be when you’re moving freer, with less pain, and back doing the activities you want to do.
3. Incorporate a Structured Exercise or Physical Therapy Program
Shockwave therapy works best as part of a broader rehabilitation plan. Each session opens a “neurologic window” after treatment where the signaling to the nerves and the nervous system is altered allowing you to move through ranges that your body has been avoiding, or through patterns you have been protecting with ease. Post-treatment is the time to capitalize on this. And, that practice during that window will make things permanent.
To see long-term success and prevent reinjury, it’s essential to integrate targeted exercises that build strength and flexibility around the affected area, especially if you’ve had this injury for a while. Whether you’re working with a physical therapist, or other movement provider, or following a customized exercise program, these exercises help reinforce the improvements made during shockwave therapy. Strengthening and stabilizing the muscles and tendons involved in your injury can lead to sustained improvements, even after your course of shockwave therapy is complete. Ask your provider to recommend specific exercises that address your injury or work with a sports medicine specialist to develop a tailored plan.
4. Understand the Frequency and Duration of Your Treatments
Consistency is key in shockwave therapy. Most patients find that a series of sessions, often between 3-6 spaced one to two times per week, provides optimal results. Chronic conditions or degenerative issues, like arthritis, might require additional sessions to achieve lasting results. Your clinician will assess your progress throughout the treatment course, adjusting the frequency and duration of your therapy based on how your body responds. To maintain the momentum, avoid missing sessions and follow any at-home recommendations between appointments. Having a clear understanding of your treatment plan—and sticking to it—will give you the best chance of experiencing a full recovery.
Shockwave is a pro-inflammatory treatment. This means the shockwave is purposefully restarting the body’s healing at a specific location - your injury source. Applying ice to that area or taking an anti-inflammatory medication ( NSAID, Ibuprofen, Aleve, etc.) can delay the response shockwave is stimulating and blunt your treatment response.
We never want you to suffer in pain, so speak up to your provider and ask for alternatives if pain is still present after your treatment. There are so many other ways to address pain - topicals, heat, gentle exercise, plus many more!
5. Follow Post-Treatment Care Guidelines
After each shockwave therapy session, it’s normal to experience some temporary soreness, redness, or swelling. These side effects are usually mild and tend to resolve within a few days, but taking post-treatment care seriously will enhance your recovery. Follow your clinician’s guidance on activity restrictions and any gentle exercises they recommend to help the treated area recover. Avoid high-impact activities for a couple of days, and be patient with your body as it adjusts.
The hardest thing about using shockwave therapy to help injuries is we can’t “see” it working. If we are wearing a cast, or using crutches, we can see and appreciate the acute healing phase that the body is in. But, with shockwave therapy being applied to the injury and then we go about our day, it’s hard to be patient and trust that the shockwave is working.
Remember - shockwave is restarting the body’s healing process and helping it think that old injuries are new. It’s essentially remodeling tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. If you’ve ever had a home remodel underway you can appreciate how it feels like you’re living amongst the mess for weeks and months until one day the project is finished and you have your home back. The same with shockwave - the body is busy healing between treatment sessions, but the big work happens after your treatment series is done and the body goes on to heal - uninterrupted - for the next 6-8 weeks.
Bonus Tip: Monitor and Communicate Your Progress
Lastly, actively tracking your progress and communicating any changes to your provider can help them make real-time adjustments to your treatment plan. Keeping a simple log of pain levels, range of motion improvements, and any new symptoms will help you stay informed about your body’s response to the therapy. Plus, this information is invaluable to your clinician, allowing them to refine your treatment as needed and recommend adjustments or additional therapies that may support your unique healing process.
Always take inventory of how you are feeling pre-treatment. Bend down and touch your toes, rotate to the left and the right, reach your arms up over your head and pay attention to how those motions feel. Then, after your session, repeat those motions and communicate to your provider how it feels after shockwave therapy. Always test and re-test to make sure your treatment is being delivered effectively for your injury.
Final Thoughts
Shockwave therapy can be transformative for people with chronic injuries, especially when approached with a well-rounded, supportive strategy to optimize your healing over the 6-8 weeks to follow your treatment plan. By nourishing your body, adding complementary treatments, following a structured exercise plan, staying consistent, and practicing good post-care, you’re setting yourself up for optimal outcomes. At Remedy Sports Medicine, I’ve seen firsthand how these strategies can help patients heal faster and stay pain-free longer.
