CuraMedix Blog

For your patient athletes, return-to-play (RTP) protocol should strike a healthy balance between the desire to achieve a timely return to sport and the overarching priorities of athlete safety and long-term health. Athletes at every level of competition, whether high school, collegiate, professional, elite, or Olympic, can benefit from shockwave and EMTT treatment when recovering from sports injuries. These powerful, non-invasive treatments accelerate healing and ensure athletes' safety, minimizing risk and promoting long-term health.

Understanding Shockwave Therapy and EMTT

Before making Shockwave and EMTT the cornerstone of your return-to-play protocol, it's crucial to grasp how these technologies benefit your patient athletes.

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT/EPAT) delivers acoustic waves to stimulate healing and reduce pain, while Extracorporeal Magnetotransduction Therapy (EMTT) uses electromagnetic fields to promote tissue repair, reduce inflammation, and alleviate pain.

Shockwave and EMTT are gaining traction in sports medicine for several key reasons:

1. Accelerated Healing - Both treatments awaken and accelerate the body's natural healing processes. This is particularly important in sports medicine settings where minimizing recovery time is critical for athletes.

2. Non-Invasive Treatment Options - Athletes and physicians alike prefer less invasive options that still provide exceptional outcomes, minimize or eliminate downtime, and reduce the risk of unnecessary complications.

3. Reduction of Pain and Inflammation - Shockwave and EMTT treat the root cause of pain and inflammation, allowing athletes to return to activity more comfortably and quickly.

4. Versatility in Treating Various Conditions - Shockwave and EMTT are not limited to a specific type of injury. They are suitable for multiple musculoskeletal sports injuries, increasing their applicability in sports medicine. 

5. Improvement in Functionality - Beyond pain relief, shockwave and EMTT treatment help restore function and mobility, which is essential for athletes striving to return to peak performance.

6. Backed by Clinical Studies and Growing Evidence - An ever-growing body of clinical research supports the efficacy of shockwave and EMTT treatment in sports medicine. 

7. Heightened Athlete Satisfaction - Athletes receiving these treatments report higher satisfaction levels due to the reduced pain, quicker recovery timelines, and the non-invasive nature. 

8. Complementary to Other Treatments - These technologies can be effectively combined with other treatment modalities, such as physical therapy or traditional rehabilitation exercises, and PRP, to name a few. 

The impact of these treatments is driving their use and popularity in sports medicine and among medical professionals treating athletes.

Shockwave Therapy (ESWT/EPAT) – Clinical Evidence on Treating Athletes

Shockwave is fast becoming a preferred first-line treatment for athletes with common injuries. The biological effects of shockwave are advantageous to soft tissue injuries, tendons, and bones because treatment stimulates tissue repair and regeneration.

Clinical evidence shows high success rates in reducing pain, improving function, and establishing the efficacy of shockwaves in various conditions. 

Study 1: Use of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapies for Athletes and Physically Active Individuals: A Systematic Review, published in British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2024;58:154-163, by Hye Chang Rhim, Jaehyung Shin, Jane Kang, Adam S Tenforde, et al. 

Findings indicate that ESWT is effective for treating numerous athletic injuries, including plantar fasciitis, lateral epicondylitis, and proximal hamstring tendinopathy on its own. In cases of medial tibial stress syndrome and osteitis pubis, shockwave therapy enhances outcomes when used in combination with traditional exercise therapy.

Study 2: Treatment of Chronic Hallux Sesamoid Injuries with Focused Extracorporeal Shockwave and Physical Therapy in an Athletic Population: A Retrospective Case Series, published in The German Journal of Sports Medicine, by Schon JM, Gureck AE, Rhim HC, Malik GR, and Tenforde AS.

This case study focuses on non-surgical treatment for chronic hallux sesamoid injuries using ESWT and PT. In patients experiencing persistent pain, the treatment significantly improved function outcomes.

Study 3: A Comprehensive Review of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in the Management of Musculoskeletal Disorders: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications, published in International Journal of Medical Science in Clinical Research and Review by Afshan Perwez, Shivani Tiwari, et al.

This comprehensive overview covers the current state of ESWT, its effectiveness, mechanisms of action, and practical applications in managing musculoskeletal disorders.

How Shockwave Helps Common Sports Injuries

Shockwave therapy, a non-invasive treatment, has proven effective in addressing a variety of common sports injuries, helping athletes recover faster and get back in the game. Here, we cover the most common sports injuries alleviated by shockwave treatment:

• Plantar Fasciitis: Shockwave invigorates blood flow and collagen production in the plantar fascia, reducing inflammation and pain. 

• Achilles Tendinopathy: Shockwave therapy alleviates pain and promotes the repair of damaged Achilles tendon fibers, stimulating blood flow and collagen production to help restore tendon function and strength.

• Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: Shockwave treatment tames inflammation and pain to quiet shin splints, helping reduce muscle tightness and discomfort.

• Lateral Epicondylitis: The shockwave penetrates damaged extensor tendons in the elbow, awakening the body's natural healing ability. Advances in cellular repair mechanisms help to alleviate the symptoms.

• Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy: ESWT/EPAT helps restore function and relieve pain associated with this condition, which is essential for maintaining and restoring proper foot mechanics.

• Rotator Cuff: Shockwave therapy is recognized for promoting blood flow and tissue regeneration in the affected tendons. This non-invasive treatment can restore shoulder function and mobility.

• Bone-related Injuries: Shockwave is essential to enhancing the natural bone repair process. It encourages healing by increasing local blood circulation and promoting the formation of new bone tissue. It helps treat delayed healing of fractures and stress fractures.
  
  

EMTT: A New Frontier in Sports Medicine

Often used in tandem with shockwave, EMTT is a revolutionary treatment in sports medicine. It also performs well and synergistically with other treatments, including PRP and physical therapy, and these combination therapies complement one another leading to advanced healing and optimal patient outcomes.

Recognized Sports Injuries and How EMTT Helps

As more athletes and clinicians explore its advantages, EMTT is recognized as a vital healing modality in sports medicine.

Here is a sampling of conditions where EMTT shows particular promise. 

• Tendinopathies: EMTT promotes tissue regeneration, diminishes inflammation, and alleviates tendinopathy and pain, helping athletes recover faster. The following conditions are highly responsive to treatment: Achilles tendinopathy, patellar tendinopathy, and rotator cuff tendinopathy.

• Muscle Injuries: EMTT promotes muscle repair and regeneration, accelerating recovery from strains and tears, including hamstring, quadriceps, and calf muscle strains and injuries.

• Stress Fractures and Bone Healing: EMTT facilitates bone healing and improves bone density, effectively accelerating the recovery of stress fractures and promoting bone repair.

• Osteoarthritis and Joint Pain: Knee, hip, shoulder, and joint pain are no match for EMTT, which reduces pain and restores joint function.

• Soft Tissue Injuries: Athletes with ligament sprains, muscle contusions, and various soft tissue injuries will find relief with EMTT

• Acute and Chronic Pain Syndromes: When low back or chronic neck pain sidelines athletes, EMTT provides welcome relief for persistent pain and supports long-term recovery.

EMTT's capacity to stimulate cellular response and reduce inflammation makes it an immensely valuable tool in return-to-play protocols. It can treat various musculoskeletal conditions, helping athletes return to peak performance more quickly.

Explore Clinical Studies on EMTT for Athletes

Let’s delve into examples of successful EMTT implementation in high-performance athletes.

EMTT Study 1: Clavicle Fracture and Triathlon Performance: A Case Report, published in The Journal of Medical Case Reports, by Lennart Gerdesmeyer, Rainer Burgkart, and Amol Saxena.

This case underscores the potential of EMTT to stimulate and accelerate healing, allowing athletes to return to high-level sports activities sooner than with conventional methods.

EMTT Study 2: Electromagnetic Transduction Therapy in Patients with Chronic Aseptic Osteitis Pubis, published in Journal of Orthopedic Research and Therapy by Tim Klüter, Martin Ringeisen, André Krath, Munjed Al Muderis, Rainer Mittermayr, Ludger Gerdesmeyer

The results of this study on osteitis pubis demonstrated a significant decrease in pain levels post-EMTT treatment, with patients able to return to sports and work without needing medication. 

EMTT Study 3: CuraMedix Patient Success Story: ESWT & EMTT Combined Ensures College Bound Quarterback Avoids Amputation -  Find out how a high school quarterback avoided amputation and returned to the field more vital than ever with a combined ESWT and EMTT treatment approach. Explore this inspiring patient success story.

How to Integrate Shockwave and EMTT into Your Practice 

Shockwave and EMTT should be strongly considered as foundational elements in any modern sports medicine return-to-play protocol. As first-line treatments, they dramatically improve healing outcomes while eliminating the need for surgery. In cases where surgery is unavoidable the combined technologies play a key role in pre- and post-surgical care. 

By enhancing recovery and reducing healing timelines, Shockwave and EMTT elevate RTP protocols, offering game-changing benefits for athletes and clinicians alike. Adopting these therapies, best practices and staying abreast of ongoing research ensure ideal patient outcomes in sports medicine.

Have questions on how incorporating these technologies into return-to-play protocols can revolutionize care and patient outcomes in your practice? Contact us, and we’ll connect you with a shockwave and EMTT expert.