Shockwave therapy uses a handheld tool that sends sound-wave pulses into a sore tendon or a tight spot in a muscle. The pulses calm pain and restart the healing process in tissue that has stalled.
Your physician orders this treatment and sets how strong it is. You only get it if it is ordered for you.
What is shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy uses a handheld tool that sends sound-wave pulses into a sore tendon or a tight spot in a muscle.
How does it help?
The pulses calm pain and restart the healing process in tissue that has stalled. It is given no more than once a week, in a series of visits.
What does it feel like?
A strong tapping. It can feel uncomfortable for a few seconds, and your technician asks for your pain number every 500 pulses. The area may be red or a little bruised afterward.
Who should not have it?
- Pregnancy
- Blood thinners or a bleeding problem
- Cancer or infection in the area
- A steroid shot in the same spot in the last 6 weeks
- Growth plates near the area in anyone under 18
- Over the chest, head, spine, or a large artery or nerve
- A pacemaker
Before every visit, your technician asks safety questions out loud. If anything has changed, the physician decides before the treatment starts. You can ask to stop at any time.
How long does it take?
About 10 minutes, once a week at most.
What to remember
- Once a week at most.
- Give your pain number every time you are asked.
- Redness or a small bruise afterward can be normal.
Show us you have it: Tell us what you will do if the area swells or bruises a lot. We go over it again at your next visit, and you can ask us to explain anything a second time.
Read more: rotator cuff tears, repetitive strain injuries.
Other treatments in the program
- Heat and cold therapy
- Vibration therapy
- Traction chair
- Neck decompression
- Laser therapy
- TENS (gentle electrical stimulation)
This is part of our physician-directed physiotherapy program, where a physician orders and supervises every treatment and no treatment starts unless a physician is available right away.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP. Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, Interventional Pain Management, Addiction Medicine, and Obesity Medicine. Last reviewed October 18, 2026.