Shockwave therapy works by stimulating your body’s natural healing process. Using our advanced Chattanooga device, we deliver controlled acoustic waves through the skin to precise depths. These waves create a targeted microtrauma—or controlled “injury”—in the affected tissue.

This process triggers a localised inflammatory response. While inflammation often gets a bad reputation, it’s actually a vital part of recovery. It kick-starts a cascade of healing activity—a “chemical soup” of growth factors, increased blood flow, and tissue repair signals. In essence, shockwave therapy gives your body a second chance to heal a stubborn or slow-to-recover injury.

We strongly recommend avoiding anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen during your course of shockwave therapy—unless specifically advised otherwise by your clinician.

Shockwave therapy works by triggering a controlled inflammatory response in the targeted tissue, which is essential for stimulating natural healing. In many chronic conditions, the original inflammation subsided without resolving the issue, leaving behind pain that isn’t necessarily inflammatory in nature. This is often why anti-inflammatory medications may not have helped in the past.

Taking anti-inflammatories during or shortly after shockwave therapy can suppress this healing response and reduce the treatment’s effectiveness. Your clinician will guide you on when it’s safe to resume medications if needed, ensuring the best possible outcome from your sessions.

In short—yes, to some degree. Most people feel some discomfort during treatment, but it’s manageable and short-lived. When shockwave therapy was first introduced, the trend was to use the highest possible intensity to provoke a strong inflammatory response. While that approach can still be effective, modern practice aims to strike a better balance between comfort and therapeutic benefit.

If you feel nothing at all, the intensity may be too low to stimulate a response. On the other hand, if it’s overly painful, your therapist will adjust the settings to ensure it’s tolerable while still effective. Generally, the more sensitive or irritated the area is, the less intensity you'll tolerate. Areas with less soft tissue—especially near bone—tend to feel sharper during treatment.

I will always work with you to find the right level, ensuring the treatment is both effective and as comfortable as possible.

This is an excellent question—and the honest answer is: it depends. Healing is influenced by a range of individual factors, including your physiology, pain sensitivity, overall health, and even lifestyle. That’s why we don’t offer a one-size-fits-all answer.

As a general guide, most patients benefit from 4 to 6 sessions but some may be less, others more. If you're improving after 3-4 sessions but not fully recovered, we may recommend a few more. However, if there's little or no change after 3 to 4 sessions, we’ll reassess whether shockwave therapy is right for your condition.

Before any treatment begins, I always carry out a thorough assessment. With over 25 years of experience in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, I'm careful to ensure that shockwave therapy is clinically appropriate, safe, and genuinely in your best interest. If I feel it’s not the right fit, I will explain why and suggest alternative treatment options.

Shockwave therapy isn’t a miracle cure—but when used appropriately, it can be a powerful tool for resolving stubborn conditions.

In most cases, I do not recommend shockwave therapy for acute (recent) injuries—generally those less than six weeks old. While some clinics may offer it in the early stages, I base my approach on current clinical evidence and a strong commitment to using only well-justified treatments.

Shockwave therapy works by triggering a controlled inflammatory response in tissue that has failed to heal properly. But in a fresh injury, your body is already going through its natural healing process—and interrupting that by re-injuring the tissue too soon could be counterproductive.

Instead, I typically recommend more supportive, tissue-friendly treatments in the early phase of recovery. These can help optimise natural healing without unnecessary disruption. This will all be carefully discussed with you during your initial assessment to ensure you receive the most appropriate care for your stage of injury.

Yes, you can—but I generally recommend waiting around 24 hours before applying ice after shockwave therapy.

Unlike anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen, ice produces a much milder anti-inflammatory effect. This means it’s less likely to interfere with the body’s healing response triggered by the treatment.

Ice can also relieve pain through other mechanisms—such as numbing nerve endings and reducing local sensitivity—making it a helpful, drug-free way to manage discomfort. I will advise you on whether ice is appropriate for your condition and how best to use it for optimal recovery.