Condition finder
Where Does It Hurt?
Each page below explains the condition, why it can persist, the usual conservative approaches, and where shockwave therapy may — or may not — fit. Candidacy is always determined by evaluation.
Foot & Heel
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is irritation and degeneration of the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue running along the bottom of the foot. Shockwave therapy is one of the most-studied non-surgical options for heel pain that has not resolved with rest, stretching, footwear changes and other conservative care. Research findings are mixed but include multiple randomised trials reporting reduced heel pain versus placebo.
Read the page →Heel Pain
Heel pain is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause, but insertional Achilles problems, heel fat pad irritation, nerve entrapment and bone stress injuries can all produce heel pain — and shockwave therapy is not equally relevant to all of them.
Read the page →Elbow
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is a degenerative tendon problem at the outside of the elbow, usually driven by repetitive gripping and wrist extension. Shockwave research in tennis elbow is genuinely conflicting: some randomised trials report improved pain and grip strength versus placebo, others find no benefit over sham.
Read the page →Golfer's Elbow
Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) is a tendon problem on the inside of the elbow, driven by repetitive gripping, wrist flexion and forearm rotation. It has less published shockwave research than tennis elbow, so conclusions should be drawn more cautiously.
Read the page →Back & Neck
Back Pain
Back pain is complex and most of the shockwave evidence base is in tendon and soft-tissue conditions of the limbs, not the spine. Shockwave therapy is sometimes used for localised soft-tissue components of back pain, but it should not be presented as a primary treatment for spinal conditions.
Read the page →Neck Pain
Neck pain is not a primary shockwave therapy indication. Its main relevance here is that neck problems can refer pain into the shoulder, shoulder blade and arm, and those referred symptoms are sometimes mistaken for a local tendon problem.
Read the page →Sports & Soft Tissue
Sports Injuries
In sports medicine, shockwave therapy is mainly used for chronic tendon and soft-tissue overload problems that have not resolved with load management and rehabilitation. A 2023 systematic review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found generally supportive but variable-quality evidence for its use in athletes and physically active individuals.
Read the page →Tendon Pain
Tendinopathy is a load-related tendon disorder involving structural change in the tendon rather than simple inflammation. It is the condition category where shockwave therapy has been studied most, with a 2024 meta-analysis across several tendon sites suggesting a favourable overall effect on pain.
Read the page →Overuse Injuries
Overuse injuries develop when repeated load exceeds a tissue's ability to recover and adapt. Most respond to graded load management and rehabilitation; shockwave therapy is generally considered for cases that persist despite that.
Read the page →13 condition pages. If your problem isn't listed, an evaluation is still the right starting point.
See if SoftWave therapy is worth exploring for your pain.
Candidacy is determined by evaluation — not by a website. Start with the quiz or call the clinic directly.
Serving Iowa City, Coralville and surrounding Johnson County communities from Total Health Chiropractic's Coralville clinic.