Shockwave Therapy

Dr. Timmons & Susan doing Shockwave Therapy.

Shock wave therapy is a non-invasive procedure and successful where conventional therapies fail. A shock-wave unit consists of a box that generates the acoustic waves connected to a wand that can be held up to the body to target the waves to a specific site of treatment.

Contrary to what its name implies, shock wave therapy does not use electrical pulses, but rather high-energy sound waves. These high energy sound waves can easily pass through fluid filled structures like skin, fat, and muscle. These waves do not pass through tendons, ligaments or bone.

When the sound waves hit these structures they “crash” and release energy. The released energy penetrates the surrounding tissue and increases blood flow to the area. This stimulates various cells, which are responsible for tissue repair of the injured structures. Shock wave not only promotes and speeds up the healing process, but ultimately causes various soft tissue injuries to heal more thoroughly with less fibrous tissue accumulation.

Athletic horses can suffer inflammation of the suspensory ligament in the front leg, and shock wave therapy has been effective in reducing pain and promoting healing of this ligament. In addition to providing healing and anti-inflammatory properties, shock wave therapy works two ways to reduce pain. Its anti-inflammatory action reduces the amount of inflammatory biochemicals that cause pain. It also seems to temporarily disrupt nerve impulse transmission, thus reducing the perception of pain. These pain reducing properties can be very useful for treating dogs and horses with arthritis.