Shockwave Therapy in Whitchurch, Cardiff
If you're struggling with chronic tendon problems such as plantar fasciitis, or injuries that are slow to recover, shockwave therapy can help accelerate your recovery. Available at our Whitchurch clinic, our trained chiropractors deliver extracorporeal shockwave therapy combined with progressive rehabilitation for lasting results.
✓ GCC-Registered Chiropractors
✓ Qualified & Insured Therapists
✓ Evidence-Based Care
✓ Same-Week Appointments
✓ Modern Facilities
Boost Natural Healing, Kickstart Recovery
When your body's natural healing cycle is blocked by interactions between pain and inflammation, conditions can become chronic. Radial Shockwave Therapy (RSWT) is clinically proven to activate the correct healing mechanisms, speeding up recovery.
At The Cardiff Chiropractors in Whitchurch, our experienced chiropractors have undertaken extra training to be fully certified to offer this treatment.
Shockwave therapy is provided in combination with bespoke progressive loading rehabilitation programmes and manual therapy where required. This approach of treating the injured tissue while simultaneously rebuilding its strength and function ensures a faster and safer path back to full activity.
What Conditions Can Shockwave Treat?
Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that has strong research evidence supporting it's effectiveness in treating the following conditions:
Plantar Fasciitis (Heel Pain)
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common and stubborn causes of heel pain. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is FDA-approved for plantar fasciitis treatment, with 91% of patients reporting significant improvement. When conservative treatment options such as rest, orthotics and physiotherapy have not resolved the condition, shockwave therapy can offer a non-surgical alternative.
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Shoulder Pain
Calcific tendinitis and subacromial pain syndrome respond well to extracorporeal shockwave therapy. By stimulating the body's proper healing process, it can help improving range of motion and reduce chronic shoulder pain without the risks associated with surgical treatment. This allows for a progressive loading exercise programme to be advanced and return to activity.
Achilles tendinopathy and Achilles tendinitis can be debilitating for active people. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) stimulates the body's natural healing process within the injured tissue, increasing blood flow and triggering cell regeneration to repair damaged soft tissue. Most patients require 3–6 shockwave treatment sessions, scheduled one week apart.
Jump Knee (Patellar Tendinopathy)
Patellar tendinopathy, or jumper's knee, is a painful overuse injury affecting athletes and active individuals. Shockwave treatment delivers focused energy to the affected area, reducing pain and accelerating recovery of the injured tissue. Combined with exercise rehabilitation, outcomes are significantly better than conservative treatment alone.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is a classic chronic tendon condition that often fails to resolve with conservative treatment alone. Shockwave therapy targets the specific damaged tissues at the tendon insertion, stimulating the healing process and significantly reducing pain and inflammation. It's a clinically proven, non-surgical treatment option for this common overuse injury.
Other Chronic Tendon Issues
We also treat greater trochanteric pain syndrome (hip), shin splints, chronic tendon pain and other sports injuries that haven't responded to more conservative treatment options. If you've tried rest, ice therapy, physiotherapy and anti-inflammatory medication without lasting relief, shockwave therapy may be the answer.
What to Expect During Your Shockwave Therapy Appointments
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Initial Consultation (30 mins)
The process begins with a detailed consultation to fully understand what could be contributing to your condition, followed by an examination to confirm diagnosis and ensure shockwave is the right treatment for you. A medical history is taken and a consent form completed. During examination a biomechanical assessment is also performed to identify if there are any issues that might also benefit from manual therapy for the best results. If further tests or scans are needed before commencing treatment, we will discuss this with you.
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Post-Treatment Care Plan
After each shockwave treatment session, we will review and progress your progressive loading rehabilitation programme. You can return to usual activities straight away, though we advise avoiding strenuous, high-impact exercise for 48 hours post-treatment. Avoid anti-inflammatory medication and ice therapy after sessions, as these can interfere with the body's natural healing process. You may notice slight bruising or mild swelling at the treated area; this is normal and resolves quickly.
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Treatment Session (20-30 mins)
Ultrasound gel is applied to the treatment site to help conduct the shock waves into the affected area. The shockwave device is then applied and pulses delivered to the specific damaged tissues. Your practitioner will start at a low intensity, increasing to a comfortable therapeutic level. The shockwaves feel like pulses: mildly uncomfortable but manageable and brief. Any discomfort stops as soon as treatment ends. Shockwave treatment is often complemented with manual therapy during these sessions to address any underlying joint or muscle dysfunction that is contributing to your condition.
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Follow-up Timeline
An initial course of 3–6 shockwave treatments is typically advised, scheduled 7–10 days apart. A check-up is usually scheduled 6–8 weeks after completing the course. Some patients experience significant improvement after the first session; for others, improvement builds gradually over several sessions. Effects can last many months or even years when combined with appropriate progressive loading rehabilitation programmes to ensure safe return to activity.
How Shockwave Therapy Works
Radial Shockwave Therapy (RSWT) works by targeting injured areas with sound waves. This triggers the body's natural inflammatory healing response, which encourages a quicker recovery time. It is particularly helpful for chronic injuries, tissue that isn't healing and those that haven't responded to conservative treatments such as chiropractic, physiotherapy, rest, injections, ice therapy and painkillers.
It is clinically proven to: reduce pain, increase circulation of blood into the surrounding soft tissues, and begin the healing process triggered by stem cell activation. Our clinic uses The Swiss DolorClast Method®, the most extensively researched shock wave therapy system, combining unique technologies with clinically proven protocols.
Why Choose Our Shockwave Therapy
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Swiss DolorClast Technology
We use the Swiss DolorClast Method®, the most well-researched shockwave therapy technology in clinical use. It has the largest library of published clinical evidence, specific protocols for each condition, and has been independently validated across thousands of patients worldwide. This isn't off-the-shelf shockwave therapy. It's the gold standard.
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Evidence-Based Approach
Everything we do is grounded in current clinical evidence. Before recommending extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), we carry out a thorough assessment to confirm it is appropriate for your condition. We follow published clinical guidelines for each indication, from plantar fasciitis to Achilles tendinopathy, and combine shockwave with rehabilitation programmes that reflect current best practice.
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Experienced Team
Our chiropractors have completed specialist post-graduate training in shockwave therapy and regularly update their knowledge. They bring the same clinical rigour to shockwave treatment that they apply to chiropractic care, assessing the whole picture, not just the site of pain. Many patients are referred to us after other treatments have not worked, and we have an excellent track record of achieving significant improvement even in long-standing chronic conditions.
Real Stories, Real Relief
We called the clinic on Saturday because we felt our son needed treatment straight away so he could get back to playing in his Saturday matches. He was able to receive shockwave therapy treatment that same day from Emily. She was incredibly gentle with his injury and very reassuring throughout the session. Afterwards, we could already notice a big difference — he was feeling much better and was back to his usual morning training routine.
As for me, I’ve now had my second shockwave therapy treatment and I can honestly say it’s made a huge difference to my lower back. Emily also treated my left knee MCL injury from football and badminton using shockwave therapy, and it felt so much better afterwards. She even helped improve the movement in my left shoulder, which had been very tight due to muscle tension.
I can confidently say Emily is excellent at what she does and has genuinely helped me get back on track with my life. I’m really looking forward to my third shockwave treatment next week. Thanks also to all the friendly and welcoming staff.
Peter Kong via Google
Service Pricing
Service | Session | Price |
|---|---|---|
Initial Consultation | 30 min | £50 |
Individual Treatment Sessions | 20-30 min | £75 |
Typical Course (3–6 sessions) | 3–6 weeks | £195–390 (Block Booking) |