What Is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave Therapy Winnipeg
Shockwave therapy Winnipeg patients may consider for persistent tendon and soft-tissue conditions is a non-invasive treatment that delivers acoustic pressure waves into affected tissue.
Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that delivers acoustic pressure waves into injured or degenerated tendon and soft tissue. At Concordia Medical Centre, treatment uses a Storz D-ACTOR 100 EPAT device and does not require an incision or anaesthetic. The treatment is delivered to the affected area through the skin while the patient remains awake.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is used for a range of chronic tendon and soft-tissue conditions that haven't fully responded to rest, stretching or other conservative measures, including plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, jumper's knee, shoulder pain and hip pain.
Radial vs Focused Shockwave
Shockwave devices generally fall into two categories: radial and focused. Radial devices generate a pressure wave at the applicator tip that disperses as it travels into the tissue, treating a broader, more superficial area — well suited to conditions like plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow. Focused devices concentrate energy at a specific depth and are typically used for deeper or more precisely located targets. The device used at Concordia Medical Centre, the Storz D-ACTOR 100 EPAT, delivers radial shockwave therapy.
How It Works
Shockwave therapy is thought to influence local biological processes in treated tissue, including changes associated with blood flow and tissue repair. In some conditions, particularly calcific tendinopathy, shockwave treatment may also help break down or disperse calcium deposits. The mechanisms and degree of benefit continue to be studied, and results vary by condition and patient.
Plantar Fasciitis & Heel Pain
Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain, caused by irritation and degeneration where the plantar fascia — the thick band of tissue running along the sole of the foot — attaches to the heel bone. It typically presents as sharp pain with the first steps in the morning or after periods of rest, easing somewhat with activity but often returning after prolonged standing or walking.
First-line treatment for plantar fasciitis usually includes rest, stretching, supportive footwear or orthotics, and activity modification. Shockwave therapy is generally considered for cases that haven't responded adequately to these conservative measures after several weeks to months. Treatment targets the area of maximal tenderness at the heel, aiming to stimulate healing in the degenerated tissue rather than simply masking pain.
Risk factors for plantar fasciitis include prolonged standing, running or high-impact activity, tight calf muscles, obesity, and footwear with inadequate arch support. Most cases improve with conservative treatment over time, but persistent cases lasting beyond six months are the ones most often considered for shockwave therapy or other second-line options.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow, medically known as lateral epicondylitis or lateral elbow tendinopathy, is degeneration of the tendons attaching to the bony bump on the outside of the elbow. It causes pain that worsens with gripping, lifting, or repetitive wrist and forearm motion, and despite the name, it's more commonly seen in people whose repetitive strain comes from work or everyday tasks than from tennis itself.
The condition develops from repetitive overuse of the forearm extensor muscles, leading to microscopic tearing and degenerative changes in the tendon rather than classic inflammation — which is part of why it can be slow to resolve with rest alone. Conservative management typically starts with activity modification, bracing, stretching and strengthening exercises. Shockwave therapy is considered when symptoms persist despite these measures, targeting the degenerated tendon origin at the elbow to stimulate a healing response.
Recovery timelines vary and tennis elbow can be a slow-resolving condition even with appropriate treatment, so setting realistic expectations at the outset is part of the physician's assessment.
Golfer's Elbow
Golfer's elbow, medically known as medial epicondylitis, is the counterpart to tennis elbow, affecting the tendons on the inner side of the elbow where the forearm flexor muscles attach. It produces pain and tenderness on the inside of the elbow, often aggravated by gripping, wrist flexion, or repetitive forearm rotation. As with tennis elbow, the underlying process is degenerative tendon change from repetitive strain rather than a single acute injury in most cases.
Shockwave therapy is used for golfer's elbow in the same way as tennis elbow — as a second-line option when rest, activity modification and conservative therapy haven't resolved persistent symptoms, targeting the affected tendon origin to encourage healing.
Jumper's Knee
Jumper's knee, or patellar tendinopathy, is degeneration of the patellar tendon, which connects the kneecap to the shinbone. It's common among athletes involved in jumping and rapid-direction-change sports, presenting as pain at the front of the knee, just below the kneecap, that typically worsens with jumping, running or squatting activity.
Management generally begins with activity modification, eccentric strengthening exercises and load management. Shockwave therapy may be considered for cases that remain symptomatic despite an adequate trial of these conservative measures, targeting the affected portion of the patellar tendon.
Shoulder Pain & Calcific Tendinopathy
Rotator cuff tendinopathy is degeneration of the tendons stabilizing the shoulder joint, causing pain with overhead movement, reaching, and often disturbed sleep from lying on the affected side. Calcific tendinopathy is a related but distinct condition where calcium deposits form within a rotator cuff tendon — most often the supraspinatus — which can range from an incidental finding to a source of significant, sometimes severe, shoulder pain.
Shockwave therapy is one of the more established uses of the technology, particularly for calcific tendinopathy, where treatment aims to both relieve pain and help break down and disperse the calcium deposit over time. For non-calcific rotator cuff tendinopathy, shockwave is generally considered after a course of physiotherapy and activity modification hasn't resolved symptoms. See "The Evidence" below for a summary of the published research on this specific condition, which is among the better-studied applications of shockwave therapy.
Hip Pain & Gluteal Tendinopathy
Greater trochanteric pain syndrome — pain over the bony point on the outer hip, often from gluteal tendinopathy — is a common cause of persistent lateral hip pain, particularly in middle-aged and older adults. It typically causes pain with walking, climbing stairs, or lying on the affected side, and can be mistaken for hip joint arthritis if not properly assessed.
Conservative management includes activity modification, physiotherapy and load management around the hip. Shockwave therapy is used for gluteal tendinopathy and related hip soft-tissue conditions in cases that haven't responded to an adequate trial of these measures, targeting the affected tendon insertion at the outer hip.
Physician-Directed Care
Shockwave therapy at Concordia Medical Centre begins with a physician assessment and clinical evaluation. The physician reviews the patient's symptoms and medical history, confirms the diagnosis and determines whether shockwave therapy is an appropriate treatment option. The assessment may also determine whether another treatment or further evaluation is more appropriate.
Treatment is provided according to the physician's assessment and treatment plan. Patients should begin with a physician assessment rather than booking a shockwave treatment session without an evaluation.
Am I a Candidate?
Shockwave therapy may be considered for persistent tendon and soft-tissue conditions after an appropriate clinical assessment. The physician reviews the symptoms, medical history and diagnosis to determine whether shockwave therapy is appropriate or whether another treatment approach would be more suitable.
The clinic's current contraindications include pregnancy, blood clotting disorders including thrombosis, use of oral anticoagulants, a steroid injection within the previous six weeks, and having a pacemaker. These factors should be discussed during the physician assessment before treatment begins.
Shockwave therapy is not appropriate for acute injuries, fractures, or as a first-line treatment before conservative measures have been given a fair trial. The physician assessment determines whether a specific case is a good fit or whether another treatment path makes more sense.
What to Expect
A shockwave session targets the affected area with a series of pressure-wave pulses delivered through the skin. Each shockwave treatment session takes approximately 20 minutes for the conditions treated at Concordia Medical Centre.
A typical course consists of 6–8 sessions, with treatments scheduled one week apart. The treatment may feel slightly uncomfortable during the first couple of sessions as it focuses on the point of pain.There are no activity restrictions after treatment. The clinic advises patients to refrain from taking anti-inflammatory medication during the treatment course.
20 minutes
Approximate session length
6–8 sessions
Typical treatment course
1 week apart
Typical treatment interval
No activity restrictions
After treatment
The Evidence
The strength of published evidence for shockwave therapy varies by condition. The summaries below are drawn from peer-reviewed systematic reviews and meta-analyses, not manufacturer marketing material, and are reported honestly — including where the evidence is modest or mixed.
Shoulder calcific tendinopathy — Ioppolo et al., Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2013
A systematic review and meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials involving 460 patients found that shockwave therapy improved pain, function and calcium deposit resorption compared with control, with high-energy treatment producing better outcomes than low-energy treatment. This is generally regarded as one of the better-evidenced applications of shockwave therapy.
Tennis elbow — Zhang et al., Orthopaedic Surgery, 2024
A systematic review and meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials compared shockwave therapy with corticosteroid injection for chronic lateral epicondylitis. Shockwave therapy performed less well than corticosteroid injection at one month, but produced superior pain and function outcomes at three and six months, with similar rates of mild adverse events between the two treatments.
Plantar fasciitis — Speed, BMJ family journals, and Simental-Mendía et al., Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, 2024
An early meta-analysis of six randomized trials (897 patients) found a statistically significant but very small effect on pain, with the effect not reaching significance when only high-quality trials were analyzed. A more recent 2024 meta-analysis of 14 studies (867 participants) found shockwave therapy significantly reduced plantar fascia thickness on imaging, but did not find a statistically significant improvement in pain compared with other non-surgical treatments. Evidence for plantar fasciitis is genuinely mixed rather than strongly conclusive.
Source: Simental-Mendía et al., Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, 2024.
Published evidence specific to golfer's elbow, jumper's knee and hip/gluteal tendinopathy is more limited than for the conditions above; treatment rationale for these conditions is extrapolated from the broader tendinopathy literature. Individual results vary and these studies describe group-level outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual patient.
Risks & Considerations
Shockwave therapy is non-invasive, but it is not risk-free or guaranteed to resolve symptoms. Temporary soreness, redness or bruising at the treatment site is commonly reported following a session. Rare but reported complications of shockwave therapy in the broader literature include skin injury and, in isolated case reports, tendon rupture with focused high-energy devices — underscoring that treatment should be delivered by a trained provider at an appropriate energy setting for the condition being treated.
Shockwave therapy will not be effective for every cause of tendon or joint pain, and it is not a substitute for an accurate diagnosis. Persistent, worsening, or unexplained pain should be assessed by a physician before assuming shockwave therapy is the right treatment.
Shockwave Therapy Pricing in Winnipeg
Shockwave therapy is billed privately as an uninsured service. The initial physician assessment is billed to Manitoba Health.
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Single session | $75 |
| Course of six sessions | $450 (private pay) |
Prices subject to change without notice. A course of six includes follow-up phone calls to check on progress.
Extended health plans in Manitoba do not generally reimburse shockwave therapy delivered by a physician's clinic in the way some plans reimburse physiotherapy-delivered treatment. Patients are encouraged to check directly with their specific plan before assuming coverage.
See all treatment fees on the Fees page →Your First Visit — Assessment & Coverage
The first step toward shockwave therapy is a physician assessment, not a treatment session. This visit is billed to Manitoba Health. The physician reviews the patient's symptoms and medical history, confirms the clinical assessment and determines whether shockwave therapy is appropriate. The assessment also considers the confirmed contraindications and whether another treatment approach would be more suitable.
If the patient proceeds with shockwave therapy, sessions ($75 each, or $450 for a course of six) are billed privately, separate from the covered assessment visit.
How to start: call or book online. The assessment appointment comes first — there is no separate online booking for a specific shockwave treatment session.
Shockwave Therapy FAQ
How much does shockwave therapy cost in Winnipeg?
$75 per session, or $450 for a course of six private pay sessions. Prices are subject to change without notice.
How many shockwave sessions do I need?
A typical course consists of 6–8 sessions, with treatments generally scheduled one week apart. The physician will determine the appropriate course based on the condition and clinical assessment.
Is the assessment covered by Manitoba Health?
Yes. The initial physician assessment is billed to Manitoba Health. Treatment sessions themselves are billed privately.
Does shockwave therapy hurt?
The treatment can feel slightly uncomfortable, particularly during the first couple of sessions because the treatment focuses on the point of pain. The clinic reports minor soreness during treatment that fades afterward. No anaesthetic is used.
How long is a shockwave therapy session?
Each treatment session takes approximately 20 minutes for the conditions treated at Concordia Medical Centre.
What conditions is shockwave therapy used for?
Plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, jumper's knee, shoulder pain and hip pain — see the individual sections above.
Does extended health insurance cover shockwave therapy?
Generally not when delivered by a physician's clinic. Check directly with your specific plan.
Is extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) the same as shockwave therapy?
Yes. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is the clinical term commonly used for shockwave therapy. At Concordia Medical Centre, the treatment is radial shockwave therapy delivered using a Storz D-ACTOR 100 EPAT device.
Is shockwave radial or focused at this clinic?
Radial — delivered using a Storz D-ACTOR 100 EPAT device. See "Radial vs Focused Shockwave" above.
Does shockwave therapy really work?
Evidence varies by condition — see "The Evidence" above for an honest summary of the published research.
Can I book a treatment session online?
Existing patients can book through the clinic's online patient portal. New patients start with a physician assessment, requested by phone or the general appointment request.