The current recommendation is that shockwave therapy should not be used unless the underlying health condition has been present for 6 months or longer. However, there is increasing anecdotal evidence from professional sports teams and practitioners across Europe to indicate that the risks associated with using shock wave therapy earlier are scarce. Avoiding the most conservative guidelines and using Shockwave in situations where there are contraindications entails many serious risks. Improper use of Shockwave can have dire consequences.
The procedure hasn't been well studied in men with severe erectile dysfunction or other health conditions, such as diabetes, prostate cancer, or heart disease. ESWT has undergone extensive clinical studies and has been approved by the U.S. UU. In most patients, there are virtually no side effects or risks.
If traditional treatments haven't healed your injury, ESWT may be a non-surgical option so you can return to the activities you enjoy with virtually no downtime due to work or sports. It's important to distinguish shockwave therapy from radiowave therapy, which is often advertised as a non-invasive treatment for erectile dysfunction and is available in both medical and non-medical facilities. There are absolute contraindications designed to warn shock wave therapy professionals not to use the therapy in any area near or around the brain. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is a non-invasive, non-surgical procedure that uses shock waves to treat and heal musculoskeletal conditions by increasing blood flow to the affected area.
If shockwave therapy is applied too close to an open or post-surgical wound, it can not only deteriorate the wound, but also cause further bleeding and delay healing. The list of ways patients describe Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is almost as long as the list of conditions this advanced treatment can help heal. Low-intensity shock waves have also been shown to grow new blood vessels and improve blood flow to the penis, which is essential for erections. A shockwave therapy regimen usually includes six different treatments, but treatment protocols may change as more research becomes available.
Because shockwave therapy is a fairly new treatment for erectile dysfunction that isn't covered by insurance plans, your urologist may first recommend other treatment options for erectile dysfunction. ESWT is an advanced treatment that uses acoustic shock waves to dissolve soft tissue calcifications, improve collagen synthesis, release growth factors and stimulate the body's healing process to relieve pain and help you stay active. However, no matter how clear and differentiated the patient's symptoms may be, it is essential that the patient undergoes adequate screening tests so that the shock wave doctor has the precise information necessary to decide if he is a suitable and safe candidate for shock wave therapy. If these are not the results desired by the doctor, shock wave therapy is contraindicated and should not be used.
Steroid injections can weaken an area, and using shock wave therapy right after could cause serious damage. While there are a large number of cases and situations in which shock wave therapy is appropriate and experiments have shown that its side effects are minimal, contraindications have demonstrated that, in some cases, the use of shock waves is not a safe option. The risk of serious and permanent brain damage is too high to attempt to obtain the therapeutic benefits of using shock wave therapy anywhere near the brain or brain tissue.