Therapeutic Principle:
Shock wave is a mechanical wave characterized by the propagation of a discontinuous peak through a medium, causing abrupt changes in physical properties such as pressure, temperature, and density. It accumulates substantial energy through the vibration of objects.
As a novel treatment modality bridging conservative therapy and surgical intervention, shock wave therapy is non-invasive, trauma-free, minimally painful, short in duration, rapid in efficacy, safe, and reliable. It avoids the complications associated with surgery, offering a more humane approach, and effectively addresses the issue of recurrence common in traditional therapies. Hence, it is hailed as the "bloodless scalpel" and regarded as the "last line of defense in pain management."
Stress Effect: During propagation, shock waves exhibit specific acoustic properties, generating tensile and compressive forces at interfaces with different acoustic impedances, which mechanically disrupt materials, aiding in the release of tissue adhesions and the fragmentation of bone spurs.
Cavitation Effect: As shock waves travel through a medium, they produce a series of cavitation bubbles that grow, oscillate, and collapse, releasing significant amounts of energy.
Analgesic Effect: Activation leads to the production of substance P. After sustained application, the pain threshold is elevated, and the generation of substance P is reduced.
Metabolic Activation: Shock waves alter cell membrane permeability, accelerate ion exchange across the membrane, and facilitate the clearance and absorption of metabolic byproducts.
Other Effects: Osteogenic effect, promotion of vascular endothelial growth factor production, among others.

Indications:
Neck: Cervical myofascial syndrome, acute peri-cervical joint inflammation (stiff neck), cervical radiculopathy, cervicogenic headache;
Shoulder: Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder, long head biceps tendinitis, subacromial bursitis, shoulder impingement syndrome, periarthritis of the shoulder (frozen shoulder);
Elbow: Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow), olecranon bursitis;
Wrist: Stenosing tenosynovitis of the radial styloid, flexor tendon tenosynovitis of the hand, carpal bone necrosis;
Back: Lumbar myofascial pain syndrome, lumbar disc herniation, posterior ramus syndrome;
Hip: Snapping hip (iliotibial band friction syndrome), gluteal myofascitis, greater trochanteric pain syndrome, avascular necrosis of the femoral head, hip bursitis;
Knee: Patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee), prepatellar bursitis, patellar chondromalacia, knee osteoarthritis;
Leg: Osgood-Schlatter disease, shin splints;
Ankle: Traumatic arthritis of the ankle, osteochondral injury/osteonecrosis of the talus;
Foot: Peritendinitis of the Achilles tendon (insertional Achilles tendinitis), plantar fasciitis, calcaneal spur, inferior calcaneal fat pad inflammation.