Focused shockwave therapy, also called extracorporeal pulse activation technology or EPAT, is a non-invasive medical treatment widely used for addressing soft tissue injuries without the need for surgeries or extensive drug therapy.
It’s used to treat various chronic conditions, such as Achilles tendinopathy, chronic hip pain, and injuries, such as hamstrings or rotator cuffs. It can even be beneficial for post-surgical recovery after orthopedic surgeries.
This article explores how EPAT works, some common conditions it is used to treat, its effectiveness, and how it differs from radial shockwave therapy.
Focused Shockwave Therapy Explained
How Does Focused Shockwave Therapy Work?
Extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT) is a non-invasive treatment that uses a handheld device containing a cone of crystals to focus a high-intensity energy field when an electrical current is applied. That energy field causes a pressure wave that can move through the skin without losing power, producing a concentrated wave that penetrates deep into the body.
The waves can be adjusted for their maximum penetration level, making them suitable for both shallow and deep tissue conditions. The site where it is applied on the skin experiences minimal impact, so it limits minor damage to the skin and underlying soft tissues while penetrating deep into tendons, ligaments, and deeper soft tissues.
At the cellular level, EPAT stimulates the release of growth factors. This, in turn, stimulates the body’s natural healing process, relieves pain, and promotes the healing of injured tissues. It’s a form of regenerative medicine widely used to treat tendinopathy and ligament injuries.
It can even break up accumulated calcium buildups in the tendons in degenerative tendinopathies.
How Is It Different From Radial Shockwave Therapy?
Radial shockwave therapy uses compressed air and transmitters to determine the wave's shape. This results in divergent waves with a lower maximum intensity, providing relief over a wider area. The one drawback is they have a much shallower maximum intensity than focused methods, around 3 to 4cm into the tissues.
It's suitable for low-depth conditions like tennis elbow but less effective for deep-tissue hip or hamstring injuries.
EPAT, on the other hand, produces higher-intensity waves using electromagnetism and coupling pads to apply deeper, focused waves that are adjustable to depths between 2 and 30cm, making it suitable for shallow and deep-tissue injuries.
What Conditions Can Be Treated With Focused Shockwave Therapy?
Numerous conditions can be treated with EPAT, primarily related to problems with the tendons and ligaments. Here are some of those routinely treated conditions.
Hamstring Injuries
Hamstring injuries result from overstretching or impact that strains or tears the muscles or tendons in the back of the thigh. EPAT increases blood flow and stimulates stem cells, promoting collagen production and tissue repair.
Hip Pain
Hip pain, including rectus femoris and lateral hip pain with gluteal tendinopathies, responds well since it is effective at great depths, stimulates stem cells, and promotes tissue repair.
Elbow Pain
Both little league elbow, caused by irritation of the growth plate from repeated overhand throwing, and tennis elbow, a painful condition caused by swelling or tearing of elbow tendons, respond well to EPAT. It relieves pain, helps restore grip strength, and is much safer than using corticosteroid injections.
Achilles' Tendonopathies
Achilles tendinopathies involve pain, swelling, and inflammation in the Achilles tendon. This condition also responds well to EPAT, which is effective at reducing swelling and pain and promoting healing on a cellular level.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis is a pain in the tissue that connects the heel to the toes and supports the foot arch. Studies have found it to be an effective long-term treatment that reduces pain while at rest, walking, or doing recreational activities.
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Rotator cuff injuries are caused by tearing the tendons in the rotator cuff, usually caused by repetitive overhead arm movements, aging, or trauma. EPAT aids healing by breaking up calcium deposits and scar tissue, stimulating collagen production, improving circulation, and promoting new blood vessel formation.
Patella Tendinopathy
Patella tendinopathy, also known as jumper’s knee, is a painful condition caused by small tears in the patellar tendon, usually during sports activities involving strenuous jumping. EPAT stimulates stem cells, increases blood flow, and triggers the body’s healing process, reducing pain and improving mobility without requiring invasive surgeries.
Healing Orthopedic Surgery
EPAT can also be used to promote healing after orthopedic surgeries. For example, when a surgery is performed, it corrects bone or joint issues. However, the tendons and ligaments around them are often painful after years of degeneration and chronic pain. It can help heal those tendons, ease discomfort, and reduce recovery time after surgery.
How Effective Is Focused Shockwave Therapy?
Medical specialists have been using EPAT since the 1980s and have observed significant healing and pain reduction in their patients. However, while some patients feel immediate relief, sometimes it takes a few treatments since injured tissues take time to heal. Still, it is known to speed healing and significantly reduce recovery time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does Focused Shockwave Therapy Do?
It uses an electrical current to focus an energy field, creating a pressure wave that moves through the skin deep into the body, penetrating tendons, ligaments, and soft tissues. The wave stimulates growth factors at the site of the injury to promote healing.
What Are the Side Effects of Focused Shockwave Therapy?
Depending on the injury and location, patients typically report minor discomfort during treatment, but most do not find it painful. However, in rare cases, patients with nearly fully torn tendons could tear it completely, and patients with osteoporosis may get stress fractures.
Final Thoughts
EPAT technology offers a promising, non-surgical solution for a variety of chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions and injuries. Its deep-penetrating, highly focused energy waves promote cellular regeneration, break up calcified deposits, and stimulate healing and pain relief, even in stubborn, difficult-to-treat conditions.
Clinics and healthcare providers looking to add Focused Shockwave Therapy to their treatment options can get in touch with the helpful staff at Maven Imaging.
