We use both radial and focused shockwave therapy. Focused reaches deep tendon and bone targets radial can't. Boca Raton sports chiropractic. (561) 997-8898
Two Shockwave Technologies, Not One
Radial for surface tissue. Focused for depth. Get the most out of your shockwave therapy.
Most clinics offering "shockwave therapy" have a single device. We have two, because they do different jobs. Soft tissue and joint pain can debilitate anyone, from those who sit at a desk for extended periods to those who run marathons - or do both. Finding relief is critical to your lifestyle. Shockwave therapy can help.
We use a radial pressure wave system for broad, superficial tissue work, and a Storz Medical Duolith SD1 focused shockwave system for precise, deep targets. Focused shockwave reaches structures that radial physically cannot - the gluteal tendons under the lateral hip, the hamstring origin at the sit bone, calcium deposits inside the rotator cuff, and bone itself. Our Boca Raton chiropractic clinic provides shockwave therapy to many different kinds of patients, and we’ve seen the excellent results firsthand.
If you’re suffering from chronic pain, motion loss, stiffness, or any other musculoskeletal discomfort, let us perform a comprehensive exam to determine whether shockwave therapy can benefit you. If you've already had shockwave elsewhere without the result you wanted, the target may simply have been out of reach.
What's the Difference Between Radial and Focused Shockwave?
Radial pressure waves are made ballistically. Their energy is strongest at the skin and fades as it travels inward, and the pulse is too long to be focused - the manufacturers themselves acknowledge that "radial shockwave" isn't technically a shock wave at all.
Focused shockwave is a true shock wave. It passes through the surface and converges its energy at a set depth, up to 65 mm in the focal zone. That's why focused is the modality studied for calcific rotator cuff tendinopathy, greater trochanteric pain syndrome, and bone healing. Radial can't reach those targets. Intensity doesn't change the physics.
The therapy can help those with sports injuries or overuse injuries and aid in healing for those undergoing chiropractic care for various complaints.
Radial vs. Focused Shockwave: Side by Side
| Radial pressure wave | Focused shockwave | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's generated | Ballistic — a projectile strikes an applicator tip | Electromagnetic coil, focused through a reflector |
| Is it a true shock wave? | No. The pulse is too long to be focused | Yes. Steep pressure rise, very short pulse |
| Where energy peaks | At the skin surface, then dissipates | At a set depth, below the surface |
| Effective depth | Superficial, roughly 1–3 cm | Focal zone to 65 mm, therapeutic effect to 125 mm |
| Coverage area | Broad | Precise point |
| Best suited to | Muscle, fascia, trigger points, superficial tendons | Deep tendinopathy, calcification, bone |
| Our device | MiracleWave radial system | Storz Medical Duolith SD1 |
Conditions We Treat With Shockwave
Shockwaves delivered into injured tissue trigger a repair response — increased local blood flow, new vessel formation, and collagen remodeling. It's a stimulus, not a numbing agent. That's why results build over weeks rather than appearing the moment you get off the table.
Sessions run about 10 to 20 minutes with no anesthesia and no downtime. Focused shockwave at treatment intensity is uncomfortable but tolerable, and we adjust as we go. The technology we choose depends on the structure — deep targets need focused, superficial tissue responds to radial, and many cases use both.
Common conditions focused shockwave therapy can treat include:
- Gluteal tendinopathy and greater trochanteric pain syndrome (lateral hip pain)
- Proximal hamstring tendinopathy at the sit bone
- Calcific rotator cuff tendinopathy
- Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
- Patellar tendinopathy, or jumper's knee
- Insertional Achilles tendinopathy
- Deep plantar fascia insertion, heel pain, and heel spurs
- Bone stress injuries, shin splints, and medial tibial stress syndrome
- Delayed bone healing and nonunion
Common conditions radial shockwave therapy can treat include:
- Knee pain and knee injuries, including runner’s knee
- Ankle strain and sprains
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendonitis
- Muscle strains
- Ligament sprains
- Shin splints
- Wrist pain and carpal tunnel syndrome
- Hip pain
- IT band syndrome
- Sciatica
- Bursitis
- Elbow pain, including golfer's elbow and tennis elbow
- Shoulder pain, including rotator cuff injuries
- Neck pain
- Heel spurs
- Chronic pain
Which technology leads depends on what the exam finds — how deep the target sits, what tissue it is, and whether bone is involved. We'll often use radial first in a visit to reduce guarding, then switch to focused to deliver energy precisely into the injured structure.
The Science Behind Shock Wave Therapy
What to Expect From Shockwave Therapy Treatment
Sessions run about 10 to 20 minutes. No anesthesia, no numbing, no downtime — you walk out and go about your day. Focused shockwave at treatment intensity is uncomfortable but tolerable, and we adjust as we go. Most people describe a deep tapping or bruised sensation that eases within the session.
Most tendinopathy protocols run 5 to 10 sessions spaced about a week apart. Bone and calcific cases sometimes need more. You'll typically notice change by the third session, and tissue remodeling continues for several weeks after your final treatment.
Mild soreness or a temporary flare over the next day or two is normal and expected — that inflammatory response is the treatment working. For that reason we'll ask you not to take anti-inflammatories during your course, since blunting the response works against it.
If you're managing pain with medication, weighing another cortisone injection, or have been told surgery is next, it's worth an exam first. Repeated corticosteroid injections into tendon are associated with tissue weakening, and the pain benefit commonly fades. Shockwave works the other way — slower, and stimulating repair rather than suppressing symptoms.
We won't tell you shockwave replaces surgery in every case. Some injuries need a surgeon, and when yours does we'll tell you and refer you. But for chronic tendinopathy and stubborn bone stress injuries, properly targeted focused shockwave combined with real rehabilitation resolves a large share of cases that looked headed for the operating room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Radial, focused, and how we decide which your case needs
No. Radial devices generate a pressure wave that can't be focused and loses energy as it travels deeper. Focused devices generate a true shock wave that converges at a set depth. Different technologies, different uses. Most clinics have only radial.
It's uncomfortable during treatment and tolerable without anesthesia. Most people describe a deep tapping or bruised sensation that eases within the session. Intensity is adjustable and we build up within what you can handle.
Usually 5 to 10 for tendon problems, sometimes more for bone or calcific conditions, spaced about a week apart. You'll typically notice change by the third session. We'll give you a specific plan after your exam rather than a guess before it.
We're an out-of-network, cash-based practice. Most insurers don't cover shockwave regardless of provider. Pricing is transparent and given up front, and you can review our Good Faith Estimate before you book.
No, you can book directly. We also work closely with local sports medicine, orthopedic, and regenerative medicine physicians and are glad to coordinate care.
Focused shockwave at higher energy is the modality studied for calcific rotator cuff tendinopathy. Radial can't do this. Results depend on the size and stage of the deposit, which we'll assess at your exam.
Yes, in select cases. High-energy focused shockwave is used for delayed union and nonunion, and our Duolith is equipped with the extended energy range required for bone work. Radial devices cannot reach the energy levels this needs. We'll review your imaging and coordinate with your orthopedist.
