Is acoustic wave therapy safe?

Shockwave therapy causes no pain for most men. And as stated above, available research has found few, if any, side effects. However, that does not mean that the procedure is safe. This treatment is especially useful for men with a mild version of ED.

Studies have shown that shockwave treatment continues to provide incredible improvements for more than 75% of patients involved. Inadequate blood supply to the penis is a common underlying cause of ED, known as vasculogenic ED.

shock wave therapy

may work better for people with this condition, as experts believe it increases blood supply. As an FDA-approved treatment option, no side effects directly related to acoustic wave therapy have been reported.

Mild discomfort after treatment has been reported in a small number of patients and can be treated with over-the-counter pain relievers. The state-of-the-art equipment used to perform the procedure is used for many other medical applications, and when used by a qualified technician, it does not produce negative side effects. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of ESWT for the treatment of plantar fasciopathy. Finnoff notes that multiple high-quality randomized clinical trials have provided substantial evidence that ESWT is a safe and effective non-invasive option for treating tendinopathy throughout the musculoskeletal system.

Acoustic wave therapy is most effective for men with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, regardless of conditions including diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity or heart disease. For men who are not candidates for acoustic wave treatment or if acoustic wave therapy does not provide satisfactory improvement, other treatments are available for ED. Doctors may refer to shockwave therapy for ED as low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave treatment (LI-ESWT).

Acoustic waves

focused on the area create new blood vessels in the penile tissue, allowing men to achieve and maintain firm and spontaneous erections.

Because shock wave therapy is a relatively new treatment for ED that is not covered by insurance plans, the urologist may first recommend other treatment options for ED. Studies suggest that men with vasculogenic ED are among the most ideal candidates for shockwave therapy, but it's unclear if they are the only ones. Most other therapies involve continuous use of medications or injections, diminishing effectiveness over time, pre-planning when a man wants to have sex, or surgical treatments such as implants. Hatzichristodoulou continues to offer shockwave therapy only in the field of research and does not charge men for treatment, providers in Europe and elsewhere promote treatment and charge patients for it.

Seftel, MD, chief of urology at Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ, does not offer shock wave therapy for ED or Peyronie's disease because it is considered experimental by the AUA guidelines panel and its patient population would not be able to afford treatment without coverage, he said. There is zero point zero medical literature that supports the use of this type of shock wave therapy for erection problems. The therapy of Dr. Shockwave is generally recommended for patients who do not respond well to medication or who do not want more invasive treatments.

Acoustic wave therapy works best for men who have mild to moderate ED, which usually means that oral medications such as Viagra work well or at least help a little. For men who are not candidates for acoustic wave or if acoustic wave does not provide satisfactory improvement, other treatments are available for ED. While most treatments for erectile dysfunction seek to create an erection without addressing underlying problems, acoustic wave therapy for ED is different.