Physio Update - April 13, 2018

Shockwave therapy - Think of it as an ultrasound on steroids

Thoughts:

WTF is that?  Well, that's the equipment my physiotherapist is using on my elbows.  All this repetitive load on my elbows and tissue from Gymnastics class and the Olympic lifting is playing havoc with my healing.   This is assisting that process (healing).  I'm sure if I take time off from doing either one or both of the activities; my body would heal.  

However, I refuse to sit around like a sack of rice and wait.   For some, that is fine.  For me, that is not; and I'll take the path of slower recover in order to keep moving.   It's a personal choice, there is no right or wrong.   So unless the medical person say otherwise.  I'm going with this decision.

Anyways, this machine does the same thing as an ultrasound does, but at a much faster rate.  There is enough write-up and full explanation of what it does out there on the Internet.  Surprisingly, it's used by a lot of physiotherapists for many conditions.

It reminds me of a mini jackhammer (based on the sound), and it hurts like it when it's moved over any part of a bone (like my elbow).  The operator can tell when you wince or when you say something!  

But before using this machine, my physiotherapist usually does some manual manipulation of my tendons, muscles around my soreness (usually on the inside of my elbow or the muscle that attaches to the elbow).  Other times, it requires me to do some exercises which essentially is stretching my wrists.  These are the same stretches I'm to do at least twice a day.  I tend to do them before my olympic lifting.  We usually do these as part of the warm-up during gymnastics.

And depending how my physiotherapist, sometimes it's followed up by 15 minutes of TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation).

After that, I'm free to go.. and the issues I have with my elbow usually goes away within a day.

I've been going in weekly and will probably stop after about 4 weeks.  Or when Physio tells me I don't need to come back!