Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Sound, M.D.: How Shockwave Therapy Works

Did you know that sonar is harmful to marine life? Imagine getting hit by a wall of sound waves almost twice as loud as the loudest rock concert in history.

Yet, had it not been for the effects of sonar on fish, studies on sound therapy, focusing on high intensity ultrasound, may not have kicked off. Sonar technology evolved during World War II due to the threat of German U-boats prowling the Atlantic, preventing merchant ships from supporting the Allied war effort. Comprehensive medical research on sound waves began around the mid-1940s.

Soon enough, treatments like shockwave therapy were born. Normally, sound goes through the ear and gets processed by the brain, prompting the body to take proper action. However, shockwave therapy directly applies sound waves to an injured part of the body, creating an entirely unique effect: stimulating metabolism and blood circulation.

Metabolism simply means the body's taking action to treat an injury or infection. After all, natural healing processes, among others, require energy, which metabolism can supply. Many studies also point to the sound waves' ability to activate the body's natural healing mechanisms. How it does this exactly is still a mystery.


To put it simply, shockwave therapy "stimulates" the body into responding quickly. This makes healing much faster than under normal conditions. 

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