🎥 Chapters
00:00
0:12 Understanding Patellar Tendinitis: Causes and Symptoms
1:15 Traditional Treatments vs. Piezowave Shockwave Therapy for Patellar Tendinitis
1:59 Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy is the solution for Patellar Tendinitis
3:29 ESWT versus Cortisone Injection for Patellar Tendinitis
4:55 Benefits of Shockwave Therapy for Patellar Tendinitis
5:31 Research on the Effectiveness of ESWT for Patellar Tendinopathy
6:06 Success Rates of ESWT treatment compared to control groups for Patellar Tendinitis
6:57 Long-Term Prognosis Result of ESWT for Athletes with Patellar Tendinitis
8:06 Why Shockwave Therapy is preferred for Patellar Tendinitis over a Tenotomy
Jumper’s Knee and Shockwave Therapy
Player suffering from knee injury on field
Jumper’s knee or patellar tendonitis is an overuse injury that happens when frequent jumping, running and changing direction damages the patellar tendon. Patellar tendonitis is located in the tendon just below your kneecap. This condition should really be called patellar tendinopathy or patellar tendinosis due to the fact that the patellar tendon is not just inflamed it is degraded and has not been able to heal from excessive use.
Due to its ability to regenerate the collagen fibers in the patellar tendon ESWT is a valuable treatment modality for jumper’s knee. The focused sound waves go into the tendon at targeted depths. Here they break up brittle scar tissue adhesions, promote the release of growth factors, bring blood to the area and stimulate new collagen growth. It may sound to good to be true but it is not. In fact, ESWT is a non-invasive and effective approach to alleviate pain and promote healing on the cellular level in people with patellar tendon issues.
Knee and Shockwave therapy
Radial Shockwave Versus Focused Shockwave for Patellar Tendonitis
ESWT, can also referred to as Radial Shockwave Therapy. However, Radial Shockwave is inferior to the Piezowave as it is not specific and it has a different wave form. We had company reps come in to our office and let us demo radial shockwave machine. The result from radial shockwave was bruising and even wounding. Even though focused shockwave is way more expensive it is worth it as we have never had anyone get bruised or hurt from the machine. With ESWT, also known as Acoustic Wave Therapy, you can resume daily activities shortly after treatment. In fact, some people get the treatment right before their sport.
Many studies show better results with shockwave therapy than PRP, cortisone injections and physical therapy. Shockwaves generated during treatment stimulate the production of collagen, a key component of tendon tissue, leading to improved tendon structure and function. By strengthening the patellar tendon and enhancing its resilience to stress, ESWT helps prevent recurrent episodes of patellar tendinitis and supports long-term recovery. So, shockwave therapy is pushing into your future and even giving you more confidence to play tennis, ski, shoot hoops and other activities you love to do.
Of course, in conjunction with the Piezowave, you will be guided through a specific home rehab process that works for the stage of patellar tendinopathy that you are in.
Can shockwave therapy work for other tendon issues?
A tendon is a tendon and shockwave therapy can help. Conditions like achilles tendinitis, gamer’s thumb, rotator cuff tendinitis, trigger finger and tendinopathies in general are easily helped with this technology. You can now turn back time on your tendons with shockwave therapy.
You can reach Dr Fields for in-person (Los Gatos and San Jose, California) or telehealth appointments here.
Shockwave Therapy and Jumper’s Knee Research
*Extracorporeal shockwave for chronic patellar tendinopathy
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17307892/
*Long-term prognosis for jumper’s knee in male athletes. A prospective follow-up study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12239003/
*Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in the Management of Sports Medicine Injuries https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2021/06000/extracorporeal_shockwave_therapy_in_the_management.5.aspx
*The effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in lower limb tendinopathy: a systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24817008/
*Shock wave therapy induces neovascularization at the tendon-bone junction. A study in rabbits https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14554209/
*Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for patellar tendinopathy: a review of the literature https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18718975/