Shock wave therapy was originally developed by Dornier MedTech to break up kidney stones in the body. Shock Wave therapy was discovered to be beneficial for orthopedic use in the treatment of soft tissue and some bone injuries. The orthopedic treatment is called Extracorporeal Shock Wave therapy or ESWT.

ESWT benefits patients because their condition can be treated extracorporeally, meaning outside of the body. Because the treatment is non-invasive many of the expenses and risks of surgery are eliminated.

Excellence Shock Wave Therapy has been offering ESWT in the United States since 2000. ESWT has been used internationally for many years. The Dornier EPOS Ultra was FDA Class 3 approved for ESWT and the treatment of chronic Plantar Fasciitis. Tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis and shoulder tendonitis are highly effective treatments we also perform off of the FDA label.

Looking over the history of ESWT, you must look at Lithotripsy. This is the procedure used regularly for breaking up and dispersing kidney stones. When Urologists reported that patients who had their kidney stones treated with Lithotripsy were presenting increased bone density and new tissue growth, the possibilities of Shock Wave therapy for orthopedic conditions were studied.

ESWT was first considered in the United States for chronic heel pain resulting from plantar fasciitis and heel spurs. An FDA study was performed for patients who suffer chronic plantar fasciitis with or without the presence of a heel spur. Participants of the study were evaluated one year after treatment and the reported results were an amazing average reduction in pain of 92% with only one treatment and 94% of study participants rating their treatment as good-excellent. (This data reflects the results of the patients treated in the study who responded to surveys one year after receiving one treatment with the Dornier EPOS ESWT machine.)

Conditions currently being treated by Excellence Shock Wave Therapy:

• Plantar Fasciitis (Heel spurs)
• Achilles tendonitis
• Tennis elbow
• shoulder tendonitis

Please don't be among those people suffering needlessly. We would like to offer you a complimentary examination to see if ESWT can benefit your condition.

You have nothing to lose. Many of our doctors are willing to waive their customary examination fee to help you find answers about your condition and ESWT. For more information contact us today.

What is a spur and what happens to the spur during ESWT?

The word spur sounds ominous, sharp, painful, and jagged. On an X-RAY they don't look much better. When patients see that spur they say, "no wonder it hurts!" Problem is, doctors do not always properly explain what a spur is and why it forms. Patients are left with the misconception the spur is the cause of their pain or that they must be removed.

The fact is the spur is not the cause of your pain. It is not a hard piece of bone. No doubt, it looks nasty on an X-RAY, but it is actually a toothpaste-consistency calcium buildup. It is not jagged or sharp at all.

As an example, in the case of plantar fasciitis, the heel spur is a result of micro tears or other trauma to the Plantar Fasciia tendon. To put it simply, when the tendon pulls away from the bone the body responds by "pasting" it back together with the calcium buildup. That calcium buildup is what you see on the x-ray as the "spur."

ESWT treats the tendon, not the spur. The spur will not break apart in chunks and float around in your heel causing pain. The spur is not an issue with ESWT.

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