Most clinics offer PRP or shockwave. Dr. Aneesh Garg, DO, CAQ says the real results come from using both together. Shockwave prepares the tissue environment so biologics like PRP and stem cells can work harder. Think of it like prepping the soil before planting seeds.
In this episode he breaks down exactly how focused shockwave, EMTT, and PRP work together at the cellular level, what conditions respond best to the combination, and the story of a 50-year-old with 12 months of failed PT and a steroid-damaged Achilles tendon who was pain-free in six weeks once the right protocol was used.
Chapters:
- 00:00 PRP and shockwave: why the combination changes everything
- 00:52 My doctor offered me PRP or shockwave. Why would I need both?
- 01:04 The soil analogy: prepping the environment before planting the seeds
- 02:32 EMTT puts cells in a better state to absorb focused shockwave energy
- 03:09 Isn’t shockwave just pain management like a TENS unit?
- 03:14 No: focused shockwave works at the cell level, not the skin level
- 04:06 How focused shockwave increases blood flow, breaks down calcifications, and recruits healthy cells
- 04:51 Be careful: Amazon shockwave devices and unfocused waves are not real shockwave
- 06:29 What conditions respond best to the shockwave plus PRP combination?
- 06:35 Achilles, patellar tendon, rotator cuff, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, plantar fasciitis, arthritis
- 07:53 Arthritis: targeting the subchondral bone to reduce pain from underneath
- 09:49 What does the combination protocol actually look like in practice?
- 09:53 Acute vs. chronic: three to six shockwave sessions before the injection
- 10:27 Case study: 50-year-old with 12 months of failed PT and a steroid-damaged Achilles, pain-free in six weeks
- 12:22 Why don’t more clinics offer the combination?
- 12:28 Equipment cost, training, and getting the diagnosis right first
- 13:47 Why Dynamic Athlete started the American Shockwave Training Institute
- 14:42 The big takeaway: shockwave works on the soil, PRP and stem cells are the seeds
