Suffering from chronic pain conditions can be very irritating. You might feel like you’ve been dealing with the pain forever, as the stings will remind you of its existence every minute.
Consulting a medical professional is one of the most important things to do. Because a proper diagnosis is necessary to understand the reason for chronic pain.
Having said that two kinds of therapies are prevalent in addressing such chronic pain conditions- Ultrasound and Shockwave therapy in Kelowna. In this article, we will learn in detail about both these therapies and try to understand the differences clearly.
What Particular Issues Do These Therapies Deal With?
Both of these therapies address a myriad of conditions through energy wave emissions. These are helpful for conditions like-
- Chronic pain
- Soft tissue injuries
- Tendinitis
- Scar Tissues
- Various skin conditions etc.
Now understand this – Injuries, pain, inflammation in muscles, etc., are common. But whenever these become a daily affair, it’s best to seek advice from a medical practitioner and get a correct diagnosis. Only then will you be able to pinpoint your issue, and seek a therapy that’s best suited to heal the condition.
That being said, let’s plunge into the details now!
Ultrasound Therapy
First introduced in the 1950s, ultrasound therapy makes use of high-frequency sound waves (decibel levels ranging from 0.75 to 3 MHz). These waves travel deep and deliver heat to the tissues, allowing increased blood flow, and increasing elasticity. This helps speed up the natural healing process!
Shockwave Therapy
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), commonly known as Shockwave therapy, was introduced into clinical practice back in 1982. This also makes use of high-energy acoustic waves to hasten the healing process and reduce chronic pain and inflammation. Walking into any health and wellness clinic will make you realize the popularity of shockwave therapy!
So, What Are The Differences?
At this point, a tiny question might pop up from your end… “Both use high-energy sound waves, so is there any difference at all?”
Yes, there is. If you start counting, the differences are more vivid than what you were thinking! Let’s get down to the details-
| Point Of Difference | Ultrasound Therapy | Shockwave Therapy |
| Mechanism | Employs sound waves to create a “deep heating” effect within the tissues. Promotes tissue elasticity and blood flow. | Employs high-energy sound waves to directly trigger the body’s healing processes without producing heat. This speeds up the recovery process |
| Frequency | This procedure makes use of higher frequencies ranging from 1MHz to 5 MHz. | This makes use of lower-frequency sound waves which usually range below 1MHz. |
| Energy | Generates lower energy, continuous pulses that produce heat. | Generates higher energy pulses that stimulate tissues directly. |
| Issues They Address | This helps address and treat soft tissue injuries, Bursitis, muscle and ligament sprains, and Arthritis conditions. | Shockwaves address and treat many stubborn conditions like Plantar Fasciitis, chronic pain in muscles, scar tissue breakdowns, slow-healing fractures, etc. |
Now when you’re in pain and want to seek either of the therapies, it will be easier for you to decide which one to opt for at a clinic in Kelowna.
Necessary Disclaimers
Now that you’re aware of the differences, make sure to keep these things in mind when you’re opting for ultrasound or shockwave treatments in Kelowna.
If you are too sensitive to discomfort and pain during therapy sessions, it’s best to go for ultrasound therapy (depending on the issue you’re facing obviously!). You might need to do multiple sessions of this to get rid of your issue.
If you don’t have issues dealing with pain and discomfort during therapies, shockwave therapy might be the best option. But then again, it will depend on your particular condition, and how acute it is. Shockwave therapies usually deal with deeper issues and might cause mild pain or discomfort. Shockwave therapies also require fewer sessions than their ultrasound counterpart.
Which One Is The Best For You?
At the end of the day, it all depends on the kind of condition you’re going through! So, it is best to get accurately diagnosed first, before choosing the best therapy option.
Also, various physiotherapy clinics offer ultrasound and shockwave therapies. Search with “shockwave therapy near me” to get a list of places near your vicinity providing these services.
