The Opioid crisis of the 2000s is still fresh in America's memory. From 1999 to 2022, a staggering 727,000 people across all demographics lost their lives to overdoses involving both prescription-based and illicit opiate pain medications (CDC, 2024). To put this in perspective, Charlotte has a population of 911,000. This epidemic of physicians overprescribing opioids in an unregulated industry not only caused widespread addiction and familial turmoil but also failed to address the root causes of pain, offering only temporary relief at a devastating cost.
Despite the increased medical awareness of the opioid crisis, the medical system often continues down a similar path, with many patients today still undergoing unnecessary surgeries, receiving costly injections, or taking other addictive prescriptions for pain and other ailments. While traditional medical treatments are necessary in emergencies and other special cases, many health concerns can be managed through less invasive, more effective, and affordable modalities. Let’s take a different approach–perhaps a holistic one that addresses the whole person–brain, body, mind– and many other facets of an individual’s life. This holistic approach to care is the foundation of Dr. Alicia Brown's clinic, Better Brain & Body, in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Brown’s comprehensive approach focuses on holistic healing by addressing the underlying causes of medical conditions, pain, and symptoms with various advanced therapies and technologies.
What is SoftWave Therapy?
One of these therapies is SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Therapy, an Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy device (ESWT). This non-invasive therapy employs gentle, energetic shockwaves in the form of soundwaves that safely penetrate the body's tissues, activating tissue healing while offering immediate pain relief. Today, we’ll discuss how SoftWave works, its benefits, the conditions it helps, and its ability to activate cells to stimulate the body’s natural healing mechanisms. Better Brain & Body is now offering SoftWave Therapy.
History of Shockwave Therapy
The field of shockwave therapy may be new to you, but not new to medicine. Shockwaves were first used in a medical setting in 1950. Three decades later, in 1980, German scientists treated the first human patient using a lithotripter, which uses high-energy shockwaves (soundwaves) to break apart kidney stones, according to the ISMST. Dornier Medical Systems developed this lithotripter, and the co-founder of SoftWave Therapy worked with Dornier in the 80s. Lithotripsy is one of the modern forms of shockwave therapy that is used today, and if you ever have a kidney stone, you can thank your lucky stars for focused shockwave therapy. SoftWave treatment, on the other hand, employs low-energy broad-focused shockwaves, an entirely different type of shockwave therapy.
Two Types of Shockwave Therapy: Focused & Broad-Focused
Broad-Focused Shockwaves:
SoftWave differs from lithotripsy in the type of shockwaves it delivers. Lithotripters use high-energy focused waves, while SoftWave uses “broad-focused acoustic pressure waves,” the only device of its kind on the market (2023). Specifically, this non-invasive therapy uses “low-energy sound waves to stimulate the healing of injured or damaged tissue” (SoftWave Clinics, 2023). The broader energy pattern of SoftWave’s device allows it to treat musculoskeletal conditions over a larger body area effectively. These broad-focused shockwaves interact and stimulate cell healing through “mechanotransduction," where mechanical forces (shockwaves/soundwaves) stimulate positive biological responses, like tissue regeneration or chronic pain relief.
Focused Shockwaves:
A lithotripter for kidney stones and other focused shockwave devices uses high-energy shockwaves in a specified area, leaving little room for broad-focused treatment across a wider area. Instead, they work better for localized attention to specific conditions like kidney stones, tumors, or fractures.
How SoftWave Therapy Works
Now that you understand SoftWave therapy uses broad-focused shockwaves in the form of soundwaves check out this video to watch how it works:
SoftWave Therapy and Stem Cells
SoftWave therapy is often called Stemwave therapy because it can holistically activate the body's stem cells. Stem cells are a controversial yet exciting area of medicine. This excitement arises from further technological advancements that show stem cells may have immense potential in regenerative medicine. Unlike specialized cells in the body, stem cells are undifferentiated–meaning–they’re not tied to a specific function (liver, brain, nerves, etc). When stem cells are activated, they essentially can become other cells and heal damaged tissue. Scientists studying treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease, heart failure, and more have carried out research studies, observing possible promising results that still require more research.
Stem cells are naturally occurring cells in the body. However, their regenerative qualities diminish as we age. In the case of Alzheimer's, stem cells that may assist in regenerative medicine often come from a younger donor via IV or injection. According to DVC Stem, some clinics in the USA offer stem cell therapy in a “legal gray area." Many individuals will fly out of the USA for stem cell injections to access stem cells in countries with regulatory approval. While Better Brain & Body does not offer stem cell therapy, we offer SoftWave therapy. SoftWave therapy shows in their research that it can activate resident stem cells in an injured area from within the body, where they can help renew and heal damaged tissue of musculoskeletal and physical ailments, while dramatically reducing pain. This is why SoftWave is an exciting technology: it activates stem cells naturally.
Stem Cell Disclaimer: It's important to recognize that the restrictions on stem cell injections are to maintain the safety of patients until further research has been conducted. Research is needed to understand how treatments affect people and their health. Exogenous stem cells injected (not from within the body) have much potential–but also possible harm. In 2017, a clinic in Florida advertising stem cell therapy injected three people with stem cells who had deteriorating vision in hopes of curing their macular degeneration. Instead, they all went blind. We recommend doing your own further research and speaking with a medical professional in this field, considering the use of stem cells, as this area remains controversial.
SoftWave Therapy Benefits:
In addition to activating stem cells naturally, SoftWave therapy has many other benefits that can contribute to pain reduction, tissue regeneration, and other health improvements.
Temporary increase in blood flow: increasing blood flow can enhance the healing process
Promotion of angiogenesis: Angiogenesis is the creation of new blood vessels. Creating new blood vessels is an amazing benefit as more vessels allow more oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the injury site.
Modulation of inflammation: reducing inflammation is key to proper healing
Restoration of tissue elasticity: Healthy muscles and tissues are elastic, allowing them to move flexibly and function. SoftWave helps promote tissue elasticity by activating collagen and elastin, two proteins essential to overall health.
Endogenous growth factor activation: growth factors are like the body's repair crew, signaling cells that play an essential role in tissue regeneration
Pain Reduction & Nerve Regeneration: SoftWave is not a therapy that needs to be used many times a week. Patients who use it once can see drastic pain relief immediately. Patients affected by nerve damage can also use it to help nerve regeneration.
Schedule a SoftWave therapy session directly online.
What Conditions Does SoftWave Therapy Help?
Chronic Pain | Achilles Tendinitis | Sciatica | Meniscal Tear | Plantar Fasciitis |
Rotator Cuff Injury | Muscle Tears | Patellar Tendinopathy | Bursitis | Carpal Tunnel Syndrome |
Muscle Strains | Shin Splints | Ligament Injury | Chronic Inflammation | Osteoarthritis |
Sports & Overuse Injury | Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers | Tennis Elbow, Golfers Elbow | Bursitis | Peripheral Neuropathy |
Post-Surgical Recovery | Restless Leg Syndrome | Frozen Shoulder | IT Band Syndrome | Second Degree Burns |
Are you interested in a more in-depth understanding of how this technology helps various
conditions? Check out their blog, and use the search function to look up any condition it may help. For example, they have articles on plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, and more.
What to Expect During a SoftWave Treatment
Preparation: Depending on the treatment area, patients lie or sit down. One of our team members will apply a gel to the affected area to help transmit the noninvasive shockwaves.
Treatment: Treatment with SoftWave depends on patient-provider feedback during the session. SoftWave is designed to find and gloss over pain points, dramatically reducing the pain with shockwaves. The therapy is a handheld device that a team member will hold and apply to a patient’s body to deliver the stimulus where the injury or pain is located. Depending on the pain of the condition, injury, etc., when SoftWave is applied, you may feel temporary pain at the injury location, which should dramatically decrease after usage.
Duration: A therapy session lasts 5-15 minutes, depending on the size of the area being treated and the condition itself.
Post-Treatment: Patients can expect little to no downtime, and many report immediate pain relief. SoftWave notes on their site that patients may have fleeting soreness or inflammation after treatment, which does not restrict their daily activities.
Number of Sessions: The number of sessions varies widely depending on the condition and numerous other factors. On average, providers may follow a once-a-week protocol for 4-6 weeks, but this has individual variability.
How Does SoftWave Therapy Feel? You Have to Feel it to Heal it!
While SoftWave therapy is a non-invasive modality, it’s important to remember that it is used on the location of injury or pain. When the therapy is applied to help the healing process and relieve pain, your pain may become more pronounced initially, while the SoftWave works its magic in a quick four minutes. SoftWave uses broad-focused, low-energetic shockwaves that cover a wider area of treatment space. For more information on the SoftWave experience, click here.
Closing Out
SoftWave is leading the charge as a medical breakthrough, offering patients the ability to choose a non-invasive treatment that helps repair damaged tissue and enhance cellular healing. Its ability to naturally activate the body's stem cells makes this technology appealing to those interested in stem cell activation. Patients can expect several possible benefits, including forming new blood vessels (angiogenesis), pain relief, tissue regeneration, and elastin and collagen production. SoftWave allows many patients an alternative to pain medications, surgery, or injections, giving patients natural results with no downtime for recovery.
Click the button below to schedule your 15 minute SoftWave therapy appointment directly online! If you are a patient, you can also schedule this appointment in your Scheduling App.
Sources:
Bach, B. (2017, March 15). Unproven stem cell 'therapy' blinds three patients at Florida clinic. Stanford Medicine. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2017/03/unproven-stem-cell-therapy-blinds-three-patients-at-florida.html
(n.d.). Biological mechanism of musculoskeletal shockwaves. SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Technologies. https://softwavetrt.com/biological-mechanism-of-musculoskeletal-shockwaves/
(2023, February 10). Broad-focused vs. Focused Shockwave Therapy Explained. SoftWave Clinics. https://softwaveclinics.com/blog/radial-vs-focused-shockwave-therapy/
CDC (2024, November 1). Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic. CDC Overdose Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/about/understanding-the-opioid-overdose-epidemic.html
(2023, January 6). Different Type of Shockwave Therapy Explained. SoftWave Clinics. https://softwaveclinics.com/blog/shockwave-therapy-types/
(n.d.). Shockwave History. The International Society for Medical Shockwave Treatment. https://shockwavetherapy.org/shockwave-history/
(2023, February 10). Shockwave Therapy: Does it Hurt? SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Technologies. https://softwavetrt.com/does-shockwave-therapy-hurt/
Tsata, V., & Beis, D. (2020). In Full Force. Mechanotransduction and Morphogenesis during Homeostasis and Tissue Regeneration. Journal of cardiovascular development and disease, 7(4), 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcdd7040040
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