VIENNA, June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
On the occasion of the Congress of the International Society for Medical Shockwave Treatment (ISMST) in Salzburg experts present recent international research findings. They demonstrate that medical shockwave treatment stimulates the organism to produce more of its own stem cells to be used in the self-healing process. "In turn, this leads to the successful healing of wounds which otherwise would not heal or would require sophisticated surgery to heal", explains Rainer Mittermayr, Head of Wound Healing Department at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for experimental and clinical traumatology.
Shockwave treatment has shown impressive results in the healing of bones and wounds. It helps treating severe trauma cases, using non-invasive procedures. Slow and badly healing wounds such as the diabetic foot ulcer, which is responsible for about two thirds of all amputations, can be brought under control within a short period of time. Moreover, shockwave therapy is used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, cellulite and other medical conditions on a successful basis.
However, there is more: shockwaves also stimulate the mobilization of the stem cells to move to the specific location where they are needed and where they are transformed into the cell type required assisting with the healing process. "Comprehensive scientific studies have finally proven what we had already been able to observe in the treatment of thousands of patients with shockwaves here in Austria," says Mittermayr. Shockwaves initiate the formation of new blood vessels to grow into the tissue, and induce the formation of new tissue and, thus, the healing process - new blood flow to the heart muscle, the growth of new bone tissue and the growth of new skin over wounds. "It would be safe to assume that shockwaves will replace conventional stem-cell research within the next five to 10 years," is Mittermayr convinced.
Shockwaves are as effective as surgery. Just cheaper and less painful.
Recently published studies document that shockwaves are as successful as surgical methods in the treatment of non-healing bone fractures. However, this kind of therapy is superior to surgery in terms of rehabilitation: "Patients who received shockwave treatment showed significantly fewer and less severe complications," says Markus Gleitz, orthopedic surgeon and General Secretary of ISMST. Wolfgang Schaden, Head of the Shockwave department at the AUVA Trauma Centre Meidling adds: "The patients in question recover faster and are rehabilitated more quickly. This is much less painful for the patients and they get back on their feet more quickly and, thus, back to work much faster."
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