New Roles for Shock-Wave Therapy

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy has applications not only in orthopedics and traumatology but also in treating fresh and chronic wounds as well as circulatory disorders of the myocardial muscle, according to new findings presented at the 8th International Congress on Shock Wave Therapy in Vienna (Austria) in May 2005.

A pilot project conducted in Vienna (Austria) and Berlin (Germany) involving more than 100 patients with skin lesions resulted in more than 80% being completely healed. Surveys of lobe circulation and burn models on rats at the University Clinic of Innsbruck (Austria) that were treated with shock wave therapy have shown that the therapy outclasses all previously applied treatments. In experiments on pigs, Japanese researchers were able to use the therapy to improve the circulation in myocardial muscle. The scientists speculate that the healing is due to a biochemical effect that initiates growth in blood vessels and releases growth factors.

Dr. Ching-Jen Wang (Kaoshiung, Taiwan) demonstrated a biologic response to shock wave therapy involves various proteins (growth factors), which cause an increased integration of newly formed blood vessels as well as new growth of tissue, thereby triggering the healing process that results in better circulation of the myocardial muscle, new bone formation, and formation of new skin on lesions.