For a day or two after shockwave therapy, avoid hard or high-impact activity on the treated area and follow your practitioner’s advice about anti-inflammatory medication and ice. Side effects are usually mild: soreness, redness or slight swelling that settles within a couple of days.
Common side effects
- Soreness or aching in the treated area
- Redness of the skin
- Mild swelling or tenderness
- Occasionally, small bruises or temporary numbness or tingling in the skin
Some people feel less pain right after a session. That can be temporary, so do not treat it as a sign the tendon is ready for full effort.
What to avoid
- Heavy loading. Skip running, jumping, heavy lifting or hard sport involving the treated area for about 48 hours, or as your practitioner advises.
- Testing it. Avoid pushing into pain to see whether it worked.
- Anti-inflammatories and ice, unless told otherwise. Many clinicians ask patients to avoid these for a short time after treatment. Ask your practitioner, and never stop a prescribed medication without checking with your doctor or pharmacist.
What you can do
- Normal daily activity, including walking
- Your prescribed rehab exercises, at the level your practitioner sets
- Gentle movement to keep the area from stiffening
When to contact us
Call if soreness lasts more than a few days, if pain is clearly worse than before treatment, or if you have significant bruising or swelling.
When to see a doctor
Get medical attention promptly for sudden sharp pain with a pop and loss of strength, spreading redness and warmth, fever, or numbness that does not go away.
Before treatment
Tell your practitioner if you are pregnant, take blood thinners, have a pacemaker, or had a recent steroid injection in the area. See what is shockwave therapy and what does it treat? and does shockwave therapy hurt?
More on the treatment is on the Focused Shockwave therapy page.
Questions about your recovery after a session?