Shockwave Therapy is a new buzzword in the injury and treatment world.  You’ve heard teammates and maybe even your neighbour talk about this ‘new’ treatment.

Two questions come up: what exactly is Shockwave Therapy and more importantly what should you expect in the first Shockwave Therapy session?

Here is a great read on what is Shockwave Therapy? In this post I am going to cover more of the what to expect on the first session and the treatment cycle.

Before we dive in, I want to highlight that we use a Storz Shockwave Machine at REclaim Physiotherapy.  All machines are NOT created equal.  The Storz is the machine that the majority of the research has been done with.

• Assessment to see if you are candidate for Shockwave Therapy?  We will start with a quick assessment to see what is going on in your body and whether we believe shockwave is going to stimulate results.  If we don’t feel there will be a high level of success, we will tell you and point you in the most appropriate direction.

• What should do I wear during treatment?  We need access to the skin to apply gel. So clothing will depend on the body part treated. If we are treating your foot you’ll wear shorts or pants that can rool up and no socks. With shoulder/upper back we may ask you to wear a jog bra, roll up a t-shirt or depending on the location, remove the t-shirt. Hips you are likely hiking shorts up or down to give access to the treatment site. We always will work with what ever you are most comfortable with.

• How long does treatment take?  First session is the assessment and treatment combined and will be approximately 35 mins. Follow up treatments are approx 15 minutes. Every session will also include Active Release Technique. You’ll quickly understand the timelines and how much we can accomplish in a session..

• Does it hurt during the treatment? Treatment can be quite uncomfortable over the injured site and you will usually feel it diminish during the session.  

• Does it hurt after the session? Typically there is no residual pain after the session from the treatment.

• How long will it take to fix my injury? Depends on the injury but typically we are shooting for 4-5 session one week apart.  Most patients feel a significant change after the first session

• What is the cost of treatment? At the time of writing this, the fee is $145 for the initial session and $130 for follow up sessions.

• Do I have to pay for all of my sessions upfront? No. You will pay as you receive the sessions. We don’t believe in bulk upfront payment because we don’t know for certain how many sessions we’ll need. We are guided by how your body responds

• Will my insurance cover treatment?  Yes in most cases.  At Reclaim Physiotherapy, Tracy Montgomery is the Shockwave Therapy Specialist so the treatment will be covered under your Registered Massage Therapy insurance allotment

There is a reason you have been hearing more and more about Shockwave Therapy.  The results are phenomenal.  Are you struggling with plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis or tennis elbow? Are you looking to regenerate tissues and accelerate the healing process on a hamstring tear? Or are you looking to decrease tension in your upper shoulders from your days as a computer Jockey. 

If it’s soft tissue and it’s a problem, there is a great chance Shockwave Therapy can help you.

Tracy Montgomery has been treating injuries with Shockwave Therapy in Ottawa since 2010 This makes Tracy one of the most experienced Shockwave Therapy practitioners in Ottawa.