Posts by DrPetzel

Short answer: Yes, for most adults with stubborn tendon, heel, and muscle pain, shockwave therapy is a safe, non-invasive treatment. Research reviews describe its side effects as minimal and short-lived, usually some redness, tenderness, or soreness in the treated area for a day or two. It isn’t right for everyone, though, so a careful health…

Short answer: Sharp heel pain with your first few steps in the morning, or after sitting a while, is the classic sign of plantar fasciitis. Overnight the tissue on the bottom of your foot tightens, and those first steps stretch the irritated spot where it attaches to your heel. Shockwave therapy helps that tissue actually…

Short answer: Most mild shin splints settle down with rest and smarter training, but shin splints that keep coming back every time you run or walk often need more than rest. Shockwave therapy for shin splints helps the irritated tissue along your shinbone heal, and in one study 76% of runners and athletes treated with…

Short answer: Shoulder pain when you reach overhead, put on a jacket, or lie on that side at night is very often rotator cuff tendinitis, an irritated, overloaded tendon in the shoulder. Shockwave therapy for rotator cuff tendinitis is a non-surgical, injection-free way to help that tendon heal, and a 2024 review of 16 randomized…

Short answer: A new study published in October 2026 by researchers at Harvard Medical School’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital found that 87% of athletes with bone stress injuries (stress fractures and stress reactions) returned to pain-free running after a short series of focused shockwave therapy combined with EMTT (extracorporeal magnetotransduction therapy), alongside a full plan to…

Short answer: Yes. For most stubborn tendon and heel problems, shockwave therapy and exercise work better together than either one alone. Shockwave restarts healing in tissue that’s been stuck for months, and the right stretching and strengthening teach that healing tissue to handle load again. In a randomized trial of people with chronic Achilles pain,…

Short answer: Many runners can keep running with mild plantar fasciitis if they cut back on mileage and the heel pain stays low and doesn’t get worse the next morning, but sharp pain that makes you limp is a sign to stop and get it treated. When heel pain keeps coming back for months, shockwave…

Short answer: Most nagging pickleball pain, like pickleball elbow, heel pain, Achilles pain, and shoulder tendon pain, comes from overuse of a tendon or the plantar fascia, and shockwave therapy is a proven, non-surgical way to help those tissues heal. Research shows shockwave can reduce pain and restore grip strength in tennis (pickleball) elbow and…