Sports & Active Adults
Shockwave Therapy for Sports Injuries Near Iowa City
Most stubborn sports injuries are not dramatic. They are the same tendon, the same mile, the same set, for months.
Direct answer
Sports Injuries: the short answer
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.
Does this sound familiar?
- Pain that returns every time training volume increases
- A tendon that warms up, then hurts afterwards
- Pain limiting running, lifting, golf or pickleball
- Overuse pain that has outlasted several rest periods
- Symptoms that improved with rehab, then plateaued
Where it is used in athletes
The 2023 British Journal of Sports Medicine systematic review evaluated shockwave therapy across musculoskeletal conditions relevant to athletes and physically active individuals, including tendinopathies and bone stress injuries. The authors describe generally supportive but variable-quality evidence and discuss its role as an adjunct — that is, alongside rehabilitation rather than instead of it.
It does not replace load management
Across the research, shockwave therapy is usually studied in combination with progressive loading. Training modification, technique, sleep and overall load still matter.
What we will not promise
We will not promise a return to your sport, a timeline, or an outcome. What we can do is help you understand the option and get evaluated. Whether shockwave therapy is appropriate depends on your diagnosis, your history and an in-person evaluation.
We do not publish treatment protocols, visit counts or outcome promises for this condition. Those depend on your evaluation at Total Health Chiropractic.
Questions
Sports Injuries: common questions
Can athletes use SoftWave?
Shockwave therapy is used in sports medicine settings, typically for chronic tendon and soft-tissue problems and typically alongside rehabilitation. Whether it may be considered in your case depends on the diagnosis and an evaluation.
Is there downtime?
Shockwave therapy is non-invasive and does not involve needles or incisions. Activity guidance after treatment varies by person and condition and should come from the treating clinician rather than from a website.
Explore whether shockwave therapy fits your sports injuries.
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.