Extracorporeal shock waves are pressure waves generated outside the body that can be focused onto specific sites within the body. Shock waves are characterized by high positive pressures up to 100 Mpa – over 100 times atmospheric pressure.
These pressure waves travel through fluid and soft tissue and their effect occurs at sites where there is a change in impedance such as the bone-soft tissue interface. This results in the release of kinetic energy at the junctions, which eventually leads to tissue repair. Recent studies demonstrate that shock wave therapy induces neovascularization and attenuates inflammation at the tendon-bone junction, relieves pain, improves blood flow, and leads to tissue regeneration.