What’s The Difference And Why It Matters To You
Shockwave therapy has been around for years and now many clinics use it. Most of what’s out there, though, is radial shockwave. It’s great technology and has helped thousands of people recover from injury and get out of pain. We know, because we’ve used it for years ourselves and we’re big believers in it.
But like most things in life, one size doesn’t fit all. And that’s where focused shockwave comes in.
How Shockwave Works
Both types use acoustic energy (sound waves) to stimulate healing. These waves kick start your body’s own repair process, improving blood flow, helping new tissue grow, breaking down stubborn scar tissue, and reducing pain.
The key difference is how far and how accurately the energy travels.
A radial shockwave is like a ripple spreading across a pond. It starts strong at the surface and gradually fades as it goes deeper. That makes it perfect for treating more superficial problems, such as:
- Plantar fasciitis (also known as Policeman’s Foot)
- Tennis or golfer’s elbow
- Achilles tendinopathy (the upper part, near the skin)
- Shoulder or knee pain near the surface
- Calcific tendonitis
It’s safe, effective and widely available. We have several radial machines at our clinic because they deliver great results when used for the right problems.
Focused Shockwave. The Specialist Tool
Focused shockwave is a very different animal, and it’s rarely available in the UK. Instead of spreading out, it converges at a specific point deep in the tissue. Think of it like using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight. The energy can reach far deeper and be positioned much more precisely, even pinpointing structures several centimetres below the skin.
This opens the door to treating things that radial shockwave simply can’t reach:
- Deep-seated tendon and muscle injuries
- Bone stress or delayed healing
- Chronic hip, back or pelvic pain
- Conditions that have resisted other forms of treatment
It’s horses for courses
At the Nicky Snazell Clinic, we use both technologies because we know they each have their place. If the injury is close to the surface, radial shockwave is ideal as it’s efficient, comfortable and proven.
But if the problem lies deeper, a focused Radial Shockwave is the tool for the job. It can go right to the source of the pain with pinpoint accuracy, triggering the healing process exactly where it’s needed.
Why this matters to you
Very few clinics have focused shockwave, and they rely on radial shockwave, which limits what they can treat.
By having both radial and focused shockwave, we can match the treatment to the condition, not the other way round. That means faster recovery, longer-lasting results, and fewer frustrations when a stubborn injury just won’t shift.
Focused shockwave represents a big leap forward in non-invasive healing. And, as you’ll see in our next blog, it’s not just a new gadget, it’s part of a much bigger step in precision pain treatment.
If you are in pain and nothing has helped, then our combination of both radial and focused shockwave might just be the technology that makes the difference.
If you are in pain, we can help
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Whenever we have had a life-changing trauma, the whole body records it. Physically as well as mentally, our fight or flight reactions can hard-wire responses.
In a traumatic moment, if we have been emotionally abused or upset or terrified or hurt, the body tenses. Our bodies are covered with a layer of fascia (imagine bubble wrap as an analogy). The fascia gets taut, the muscles tighten and at that moment, these contractures can get stuck, and left untreated, they are there forever. The trauma of a particular emotional of physical event is locked in the body.
A background rumble, aching away, and that's because the tightness is not allowing enough oxygen and nutrition to get to those precious nerves underneath. That can lead to horrible, unrelenting chronic pain.
The wonderful thing about this is you don't need to hang onto that chronic pain.
Read on
The solution requires delving deeper into the tissue layers of the body. This is where you can obtain healing from deeply hidden emotional and physical pain. Deep in your body you are walking through the catacombs of your mind and accessing its memories. An archaeological dig of past emotions.
Massage has been used for thousands of years to help treat pain, the level of success linked to the knowledge and expertise of the masseur. The physiotherapy profession started with masseurs and has steadily evolved as its knowledge and understanding of how the body works and how each muscle, ligament, tendon and fascia contributes to the body function.
Our physiotherapists are thus highly trained masseurs and will use their hands to help identify specific problems and trigger points where pain is localised and intense.
Once the problem has been identified your therapist has many technology options to massage, some suited for very deep problems and others for shallow problems. While a therapist may choose at times to use his hands and body to treat, it may well be that our broad technology base provides more effective treatment and be preferable to you.
- Radial shockwave has the ability to penetrate deeply and strongly to release tight constricting contractures in the muscles and heal angry tendons.
- Our V-Actor massage technology provides a soothing deep massage and is great at improving circulation and reducing pain.
- Our deep oscillation technology provides a soothing frequency that resonates in a way to calm pain, inflammation, and fear.
We will use various techniques to get into those trigger points, those pain bodies. Our therapists are also trained in energy medicine, beginners to Reiki Master level, and will be very aware of energetically releasing that trigger point whilst listening and working with your emotions. For you, it is a wonderful, emotional moment when you get a release from something that's haunted you for very long time.
You may have suffered with pain for a long time. Maybe you have pain or trauma you haven't shared with you own physiotherapist and perhaps now feel more confident in asking them about this type of treatment.