How does radial shockwave therapy help with chronic muscle tension?

Radial shockwave therapy (RSWT) helps chronic muscle tension through several key mechanisms:

1. Mechanical Pressure and Microtrauma: RSWT delivers high-energy pressure waves to the muscle tissue, causing controlled microtrauma. This stimulates the body's natural healing response by activating fibroblasts (cells involved in tissue repair) and promoting tissue regeneration.

2. Increased Blood Flow and Vascularisation: The shockwaves stimulate the formation of new blood vessels and improve local circulation. Enhanced blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscle healing and helps remove metabolic waste products that contribute to muscle tension and pain.

3. Pain Reduction via Nerve Effects: Shockwaves reduce pain by affecting nerve fibres. They decrease the release of pain-related neuropeptides like substance P, and may selectively disrupt sensory nerve fibres, resulting in long-lasting analgesia. This helps break the pain-muscle tension cycle.

4. Stimulation of Cellular Metabolism: RSWT activates cellular activity, encouraging production of important molecules like transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which promote tissue repair and reduce inflammation.

5. Breakdown of Pathological Deposits: In some cases, RSWT helps dissolve calcifications or fibrotic tissues in muscles or tendons, improving tissue flexibility and reducing tension.