EPAT Acoustic Wave Therapy

EPAT Acoustic Wave Therapy

Stimulating the healing and regenerative process of injured tissues with special, low-amplitude sound waves that increase cell metabolism and blood circulation.

What you can expect:

  • EPAT is alternative, non-invasive treatment for musculoskeletal pain
  • Accelerate healing and treat the cause of your pain
  • Increase cell metabolism, blood circulation, and the formation of blood vessels, ultimately stimulating the healing and regenerative processes in your body

Offered By
Michael Sheps, DC

EPAT
Our experienced and specialized practitioners at Pacific Coast Sports Medicine work together providing the best care possible to not only treat musculoskeletal pain, but also the underlying cause of the pain. While we offer standard treatments such as physical therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and massage therapy, we also strive to provide novel therapies with cutting-edge technology in order to explore the limits and further obtain regenerative, healing effects. Hence our mission of Regenerative Orthopedics. EPAT Acoustic Wave Therapy is one treatment modality we utilize to regenerate and stimulate natural healing within the body.

epat

What causes musculoskeletal pain?

Musculoskeletal pain affects over 100 million Americans each year (1). This pain can be caused by a variety of mechanisms, such as wear and tear from activities of daily living, overuse and repetitive movements, poor posture and other muscle imbalances, trauma, and post-operative surgery. Pain can result from injury or other events in an immediate fashion (acute pain) and/or can be recurring and persistent over the term of months or even years (chronic pain). Some examples of musculoskeletal conditions and disorders that are present in people of all ages are lumbar pain, plantar fasciitis, epicondylitis, rotator cuff impingement, myofascial pain, and tendinitis of the Achilles Tendon, knee, biceps, and wrist.

We use the OrthoPulse EPAT System by CuraMedix to accelerate healing and treat the cause of pain.

SNOWBOARDEREPAT is an alternative, non-invasive treatment for patients who have not otherwise responded to standard therapies. We predict that it will become a standard therapy in the future as its benefits are more widely experienced. Standing for “Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Therapy,” EPAT generates short pressure pulses from the handheld applicator of the OrthoPulse EPAT device, propagating low-amplitude acoustic waves from the skin’s surface into the tissue of the painful area.

The acoustic waves increase cell metabolism, blood circulation and neovascularization (formation of blood vessels), ultimately stimulating the healing and regenerative processes at the injured site (2, 5, 8).

Recent studies demonstrate that pain relief, healing, and tissue regeneration are attributed to EPAT:

  • Sensory input: stimulating release of enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters, ameliorating the sensation of pain (9, 11)
  • Mesenchymal stem cells: affecting bone repair and wound healing (4)
  • Nitric oxide activity: decreasing inflammation (7)

Current research literature has confirmed the positive effects acoustic wave therapy has on blood circulation, cell metabolism, pain, function, and structural properties of muscle and connective tissue.

  • Patient-reported decreases in pain as well as objective measurements of plantar fascia thickness decreasing by nearly 50% one year after cessation of EPAT treatment in those with chronic plantar fasciitis (6)
  • Statistically and clinically significant improvements in pain and function in over 75% of patients with Achilles tendinopathies one year post-EPAT (10)
  • Skin elasticity improved by 73% after 3 weeks of EPAT with ultrasound evaluations demonstrating increased density and firmness in collagen fibers (3)

Pacific Coast Sports Medicine offers the newest available technology in musculoskeletal pain treatment and regenerative orthopedics. The OrthoPulse EPAT System provides many patients with immediate pain relief as well as a potential long-term solution to their musculoskeletal conditions. Consult with our medical specialists to see if EPAT acoustic wave therapy is right for you.

References:

  1. AAPM Facts and Figures of Pain. The American Academy of Pain Medicine Web site. http://www.painmed.org/patientcenter/facts_on_pain.aspx#incidence. Accessed January 2, 2015.
  2. Adatto et al. Controlled, randomized study evaluating the effects of treating cellulite with AWT/EPAT. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2010;12(4):176-82.
  3. Christ et al. Improvement in skin elasticity in the treatment of cellulite and connective tissue weakness by means of extracorporeal pulse activation therapy. Aesthet Surg J. 2008;28(5):538-544.
  4. Delhasse Y, Neuland H, Bloch W. Influence focused and radial shock wave treatment on the behavior of human mesenchymal stem cells (MCSS). Acta Physiologica. 2009;195(669).
  5. Drury-Schimberg A. Abstract-Heel pain treatment results using extracorporeal pulse activation therapy (EPAT) vs. extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT). http://www.shockwavecanadainc.com/pdf/Abstract_-_Schimberg_2006-09.pdf. Accessed December 21, 2014.
  6. Gordon R, Wong C, Crawford EJ. Ultrasonographic evaluation of low energy extracorporeal pulse activated therapy (EPAT) for chronic plantar fasciitis. Foot Ankle Int. 2012;33(3):202-7.
  7. Mariotto et al. Extracorporeal shock waves: from lithotripsy to anti-inflammatory action by NO production. Nitric Oxide. 2005;12(2):89-96.
  8. Novak P. Acoustic wave therapy for treating cosmetic disorders. Medimond S.r.l. 2009. http://www.awt.com.tr/files/file/literatur/awt-novak_ipras_proceedings-2009-12.pdf. Accessed Decemeber 21, 2014.
  9. Rompe JD, Hope C, Küllmer K, Heine J, Bürger R. Analgesic effect of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy on chronic tennis elbow. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1996;78(2):233-7.
  10. Sanexa A, Ramdath S, O’Halloran P, Gerdesmeyer L, Gollwitzer H. Extra-corporeal pulse-activated therapy (“EPAT” sound wave) for Achilles tendinopathy: a prospective study. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2011;50(3):315-9.
  11. Weil LS Jr, Roukis TS, Weil LS, Borrelli AH. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis: indications, protocol, intermediate results, and a comparison of results to fasciotomy. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2002;41(3):166-72.

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