Key Takeaways
- The main shockwave therapy benefits are faster healing in tendons, joints, and soft tissue, driven by increased blood flow and collagen production.
- A course usually runs three to five sessions, spaced about a week apart, at roughly 15 minutes each.
- It’s non-invasive. No incisions, no injections, and no real downtime.
- It isn’t for everyone. Pregnancy, an active infection or wound at the site, cancer treatment, and a steroid injection in the past six weeks all rule it out.
- Ala carte sessions at Live Well start at $230, and cost drops per session when paired with chiropractic adjustments.
How Shockwave Therapy Works
Shockwave therapy delivers high-intensity acoustic waves through a handheld applicator, and those waves create controlled microtrauma in the treated tissue. That microtrauma is the point: it prompts the body to increase blood flow to the area, break down calcified buildup, and ramp up collagen production, all of which speed up repair in tissue that’s stopped healing on its own.
Live Well runs an EMS Swiss Dolorclast radial shockwave system for this. Radial devices concentrate their energy near the skin’s surface, which is why they work well for tendon and fascia conditions like plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow, as opposed to focused shockwave devices, which are built to reach deeper structures.
A session applies around 2,000 pulses at an intensity dialed to what you can tolerate. Most people describe it as an uncomfortable tapping or a dull ache rather than sharp pain, and it eases once the applicator moves past the most sensitive spot.
Chiropractic shockwave therapy adds one more layer on top of the machine itself: Dr. Kenney Truong pairs each session with an assessment of the joint or spinal mechanics that may be feeding the injury, not just the injury site in isolation. That’s the practical difference a shockwave therapy chiropractor brings over a podiatry or physiotherapy clinic running the same device on its own.
Benefits of Shockwave Therapy
The benefits of shockwave therapy come down to four consistent effects, all tied to how the treatment interrupts stalled healing in soft tissue.
Less pain, inflammation, and swelling. The microtrauma from each session breaks up the inflammatory buildup that keeps chronic tendon and joint pain going, which is why conditions like plantar fasciitis, calcific shoulder tendinopathy, and tennis elbow respond to it.
More range of motion. Once pain and inflammation come down, the joint or tendon can move through a fuller range again, which matters most for anyone dealing with a frozen shoulder or calcific tendinitis that’s been limiting movement for months.
Fewer sessions than most conservative options. Three to five sessions is a realistic full course for most conditions, against months of physiotherapy or a repeat cycle of steroid injections.
No incisions, no surgery. Nothing about the treatment requires downtime. Most people go straight back to their day after a session.
Persistent tendon or joint pain that hasn’t eased with rest, stretching, or a cortisone shot is the kind of case shockwave therapy at Live Well is built to address, with clinics running it in Sengkang, Bedok, Toa Payoh, and Potong Pasir. The same mechanism is why it’s become a standard part of care for shoulder tendinopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome at the clinic.
What Are the Possible Side Effects of Shockwave Therapy?
Most people feel mild discomfort during the session itself, and some redness or soreness at the treatment site for a day or two afterward. That’s the extent of it for the large majority of patients. There’s no medication involved and nothing to recover from beyond that short window.
Are There Any Contraindications to Shockwave Therapy?
Who should not do shockwave therapy comes down to four groups: pregnant patients, anyone with an active infection or open wound at the treatment site, patients currently undergoing cancer treatment, and anyone who had a steroid injection at the same site in the past six weeks. Dr. Kenney Truong screens for these during the initial assessment, before recommending shockwave therapy over another approach.
How Long Does It Take to Recover and See Results?
Most courses run three to five sessions at one-week intervals, each delivering around 2,000 pulses. Results build across the course rather than arriving all at once, and most people notice a real drop in pain by the second or third session. A handful of more stubborn cases need a couple of extra sessions to fully settle.
When to See a Chiropractor
See a chiropractor if tendon or joint pain has lasted more than two to three weeks despite rest and stretching, or if it keeps coming back once you’re active again. That pattern, pain that improves and then returns, usually means the underlying tissue hasn’t actually healed, just quieted down.
Dr. Kenney Truong and the team at Live Well Chiropractic run shockwave therapy assessments at all four clinics, in Sengkang, Bedok, Toa Payoh, and Potong Pasir, and can tell you in the same visit whether it’s the right fit for what you’re dealing with. Ala carte shockwave sessions start at $230, and package rates drop lower per session when combined with chiropractic adjustments. See the full chiropractic cost breakdown for current pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does shockwave therapy actually work?
Yes, for the tendon and soft-tissue conditions it’s indicated for. It’s an established, FDA-cleared treatment for conditions like plantar fasciitis and calcific shoulder tendinopathy, and most patients see a measurable drop in pain within the first few sessions.
How does shockwave therapy work?
It delivers acoustic waves through a handheld applicator, creating controlled microtrauma that increases blood flow, breaks down calcified tissue buildup, and stimulates collagen production in the treated area.
Who should not do shockwave therapy?
Pregnant patients, anyone with an active infection or open wound at the treatment site, patients undergoing cancer treatment, and anyone who had a steroid injection at the same site in the past six weeks should not do shockwave therapy. A chiropractor screens for these before recommending treatment.
What are the benefits of shockwave therapy?
The benefits of shockwave therapy are reduced pain and inflammation, better range of motion, and a shorter course than most conservative alternatives, typically three to five sessions instead of months of physiotherapy, without surgery or downtime.
How much does shockwave therapy cost in Singapore?
At Live Well, ala carte shockwave sessions start at $230 each. Combined with chiropractic adjustments in a treatment plan, the per-session rate drops. Full current pricing is on the chiropractic cost page.