ESWT in Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio.
Sound Medical Technologies
Sound Medical Technologies, Inc. owns and operates some of the rare mobile Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (“ESWT” ) machines in Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio.
ESWT: Plantar Fascia
If you are feeling discomfort or pain in your step or noticing strange patches of yellow skin on your feet, then it may be time to get checked for plantar warts.
Learn MoreESWT Achilles Tendon
Acute tendonitis is sudden inflammation, within few days, and is usually due to an overloading strain during a specific exercise
Learn MoreLaser Fungus Toenail & Warts
In less than 5 minutes Sound Medical Technologies and your local podiatrist can treat your wart & toenail fungus! It is painless and effective.
Learn MoreSWIFT treatment
Using microwaves to attack the wart, the Swift system guarantees effective and consistent results.
Learn MoreShockwave Therapy
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy, or ESWT, is a patient treatment option for chronic plantar fasciitis. ESWT delivers a penetrating wave of energy to the heel, creating a micro-trauma to the affected problematic tissue, plantar fasciitus and the body will respond to this microtrauma by healing it. Thus new increased delivery of nutrients and blood vessel formation to the area. The microtrauma is thought to relieve symptoms of heel pain by stimulating the repair process.
Benefits of ESWT
- Risks of surgery eliminated
- Proven pain relief procedure
- Patients can walk immediately
- 18-minute in-office procedure
- No time off work
- No pain
Conditions We Treat
- Heel pain (plantar fascitis)
- Mortons Neuroma
- Trochanteric “Hip” bursitis
- Shoulder tendonitis (often calcific deposits are present)
- avascular necrosis of the talus
- Achilles tendonitus
- Rotator cuff
- Patellar tendonitis
- Tennis elbow/ golfers elbow
How do true Shockwave devices differ from similar-looking technology?
So you’re sick and tired of the pain of Plantar Fasciitis, and you’ve decided to take action. Perhaps you’ve had treatments in the past like steroid injections which didn’t work, or only worked temporarily. Regardless, you’ve done your research and came across Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy, or ESWT. It’s minimally invasive, doesn’t involve prescription drugs, and has the potential to give lasting relief. Obviously this sounds fantastic.
Yet consider this–the treatment can only be effective if it’s actually Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy. Today, several options are being marketed as effective options for Plantar Fasciitis relief. Here’s the problem, however–these devices aren’t designed to treat Plantar Fasciitis, or any other connective tissue injury for that matter.
It’s not that this equipment is delivering sham treatments. In most cases, these medical devices were designed to treat muscular issues in a physical therapy-type setting. Specifically, trigger points located within overused muscles. The treatments they deliver more closely resemble therapeutic ultrasound or electrical stim treatments than ESWT. Yet such equipment physically resembles true Shockwave devices. Their names also frequently contain phrases like “Pressure Wave Therapy,” further confusing the issue.
What’s really happening is that an uneducated (or less than ethical) provider wants to claim that they offer Shockwave. This approach always backfires for the simple reason that patients don’t improve under these treatments. It’s like using an X-Ray machine to take an MRI–it simply isn’t possible.
Fortunately, spotting these ineffective therapies is simple. If the treatment isn’t specifically called “Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy” it isn’t really Shockwave. If you suffer from Plantar Fasciitis, only genuine, high-energy Shockwave Therapy delivered by the likes of the Epos Ultra will suffice
Shockwave Therapy was originally invented 25 years ago by the Dornier MedTech Corporation. This early iteration was designed to break apart kidney stones so that patients could pass them more easily. Since that time, Dornier has refined the technology. In its current form, e.g. the Epos Ultra, it is fully capable of treating Plantar Fasciitis and other soft tissue injuries. It’s a great example of how medical technology evolves to become more useful across multiple conditions.
FDA Approved Treatment
The Epos Ultra is now FDA Approved for the treatment of Plantar Fasciitis. From a mainstream medical standpoint, this is the gold standard of acceptance. It has also proven clinically effective when used “off label” against related soft tissue injuries. These include lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow), and rotator cuff tendonitis. In reality, any chronically damaged tendon or ligament can benefit, provided it’s close enough to the surface. Extremely deep structures are simply out of reach of the high-energy soundwaves used in ESWT.
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy: the Dornier EPOS System for improved Plantar Fasciitis outcomes.
Are you sick of just putting up with heel pain caused by Plantar Fasciitis? If you’re looking for a drug-free, minimally-invasive option then help is available. Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), also known simply as “Shockwave,” addresses chronic tendon damage, the underlying cause.
Yet not all Shockwave technology is created equal. Sound Medical Technologies solely relies on the Dornier EPOS Ultra for several reasons. First, it offers the highest and most variable energy output of any competing unit. This allows highly customizable treatments. Second, EPOS uses ultrasound imaging to precisely monitor treatment in real time. This ensures that only the damaged portion of the tendon is affected. Nearby healthy tissue remains completely unharmed.
Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis
Note that EPOS Ultra is fully capable of delivering both high and low-energy treatments. When used appropriately each type can deliver specific benefits. However, only high-energy treatments have been tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Plantar Fasciitis. Research has shown that these higher-energy sound waves create small amounts of controlled damage within targeted tissue. This is known as “microtrauma.” It is through this microtrauma process that Shockwave triggers the body’s own healing process to create lasting change.
But first, let’s look at the term “Plantar Fasciitis.” The Plantar Fascia is the technical name of the large, flat tendon running along the bottom of the foot. Next, the medical ending “itis” refers to unwanted inflammation. Hence the term “Plantar Fasciitis” means the chronic inflammation of this tendon. As mentioned earlier, heel pain is the telltale symptom, which can range in severity from mild to excruciating. It’s usually more intense in the morning, particularly with the first few steps of the day.