What is Shockwave Therapy?

You’ve stretched, iced, rested, maybe even tried injections — but that stubborn pain keeps coming back.

It hurts to take that first step in the morning. Your shoulder won’t let you sleep. Your elbow aches every time you grip something. You’re doing everything right, but your body just won’t heal.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone — and you’re exactly who we help at Marathon Spine & Wellness.

We’re proud to offer Focused Shockwave Therapy using the Storz Duolith System, a cutting-edge regenerative technology that helps your body restart the healing process naturally — even when nothing else has worked.

What Is Focused Shockwave Therapy?

Focused Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (f-ESWT) is a non-invasive treatment that uses precisely targeted acoustic energy to stimulate deep tissue healing, reduce pain, and restore function.

Unlike other therapies that only calm inflammation, focused shockwave reactivates your body’s regenerative response — increasing blood flow, stimulating growth factors, breaking up scar tissue, and triggering the repair of stubborn soft-tissue and joint problems.

It’s not just pain relief. It’s tissue regeneration.

And the Storz Duolith system we use is one of the most advanced focused shockwave units available — the same technology trusted in research hospitals and elite sports medicine clinics worldwide.

How It Works

Think of chronic pain like a healing process that got “stuck in neutral.” Shockwave therapy acts like a restart button.

Each acoustic pulse penetrates precisely into the affected tissue — whether it’s a deep tendon, joint, or area of fibrosis. These micro-mechanical stimulations:

• Break down old scar tissue and calcifications

• Trigger new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis)

• Increase metabolic activity and cell regeneration

• Release growth factors that accelerate healing

Over a short series of treatments, your body begins to rebuild — not just patch — the injured area.

Why We Chose the Storz Duolith FSW

The Storz Duolith Focused Shockwave System is considered the gold standard for regenerative acoustic therapy across the world.

It allows us to:

• Target exact depths of tissue (from superficial tendons to deep joint structures)

• Adjust energy levels to your comfort and your condition

• Treat both acute and chronic issues with precision

This level of customization is what separates focused shockwave from cheaper or radial “shockwave-like” devices — and it’s why it’s used in clinical research across orthopedics, sports medicine, and rehabilitation.

Conditions Treated with Focused Shockwave

Focused shockwave is clinically proven to help a wide range of conditions — especially those that haven’t responded to traditional care.

✅ Chronic Tendon & Soft Tissue Injuries

• Plantar fasciitis (heel pain)

• Achilles tendinopathy

• Tennis & golfer’s elbow (lateral/medial epicondylitis)

• Patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee)

• Rotator cuff and shoulder pain

✅ Calcifications & Scar Tissue

• Calcific tendonitis of the shoulder

• Post-surgical adhesions or fibrosis

• Myofascial trigger points

✅ Degenerative Joint Conditions

• Knee and hip osteoarthritis

• Shoulder Osteoarthritis

• Chronic joint pain with stiffness or swelling

✅ Fibrotic Disorders

• Dupuytren’s contracture and other hand fibroses (emerging evidence supports its use)

In each of these conditions, the body has stopped trying to heal — and focused shockwave gives it a reason to start again.

What the Research Says

Focused shockwave therapy has been widely studied for more than two decades.Here’s a snapshot of what the science shows:

• Plantar Fasciitis: Multiple randomized controlled trials show significant pain reduction and long-term functional improvement compared to placebo or conservative care alone.

• Tendinopathies: Studies demonstrate measurable tendon remodeling, improved circulation, and reduced pain in conditions like Achilles, patellar, and elbow tendinopathy.

• Shoulder Calcifications: Clinical trials show ESWT helps dissolve calcium deposits and restore mobility in chronic shoulder pain.

• Osteoarthritis: Growing evidence supports pain reduction, improved range of motion, and enhanced cartilage health in knee OA.

• Fibrotic Conditions: Early studies on Dupuytren’s contracture in addition to other conditions more commonly associated with Urology care

The results are clear: focused shockwave helps patients heal when other options fall short.

Class IV Laser vs Focused Shockwave

	Class IV Laser	Focused Shockwave (Storz Duolith)
Mechanism	Light energy for inflammation relief	Mechanical energy for tissue regeneration
Depth	2–4 cm	Up to 12 cm
Goal	Reduce inflammation	Restart healing & remodel tissue
Frequency	Often 2–3x/week	3–6 total treatments
Cost per session	~$50-80 Nationwide Avg	~$150 Nationwide Avg
Best for	Acute injuries & recovery	Chronic, degenerative, or calcified conditions

In other words — laser helps your body recover. Shockwave helps your body rebuild. It’s the next level of regenerative care.

What to Expect During Treatment

Focused shockwave therapy is performed right in our office. Here’s what a typical session looks like:

1. Evaluation: We identify your exact pain source and tailor your protocol.

2. Treatment: Using the Storz Duolith handpiece, we deliver precise pulses to the targeted tissue (sessions last 5–20 minutes).

3. Aftercare: Mild soreness is normal for 24–48 hours — a sign your body is responding.

4. Results: Many patients notice improvement within 1–3 sessions, with full benefit after a short series.

There’s no downtime, no injections, and no medication required.

The Story of Success (Your Future)

Imagine waking up and taking your first steps without pain. Imagine being able to work, lift, run, or throw — without worrying about flare-ups.

That’s the story we see every week in our office — patients from Marathon, Wausau, and across Central Wisconsin who thought they’d have to “just live with it” finally getting relief.

You’re not broken. Your body just needs the right stimulus to heal — and focused shockwave gives it that signal.

Take the Next Step Toward Healing

If you’re tired of short-term fixes and ready for real, lasting results, Focused Shockwave Therapy might be your next step.

At Marathon Spine & Wellness, we combine advanced technology like the Storz Duolith with chiropractic and rehabilitative care to help you move better, feel better, and live pain-free.

📍 Located in Marathon, WI, serving Wausau, Marathon, Edgar, Athens, and all of Central Wisconsin.📞 Call 715-443-6777 or Schedule online at MarathonSpine.com

You’ve tried everything else.

Now it’s time to restart healing — with focused shockwave at Marathon Spine & Wellness.