04 Oct Physiotherapy translators diffusing shock waves treatment

Medical translations can also be applied to physiotherapists practice or guidelines as regards musculoskeletal disorders. Although it is not as spread as in other medical disciplines, physiotherapy translators interventions have had a positive impact on professionals’ attitudes and skills, as well as on clinical practice itself.

Up to date, physiotherapy translation does not include wide samples, and studies are heterogeneous. Nevertheless, they do have an effect on practice. Based on lithotripsy systems, shock waves constitute a therapy of recent appearance. Its advantages are that they favor the restructuring of tissues, after the damage produced by shock waves, without the need for surgical intervention.

Shock waves physiotherapy and medical translation

The therapy consists on the application of high-speed sound waves (between one and four waves per second) through a head that prevents dispersion and focuses the waves through a gel, or transparent liquid, placed on the injured part of the body, once located by palpation. The depth at which the waves can reach differs according to whether we are talking about radial waves, in which case it reaches depths of up to five centimeters; or focal waves, in which case the depth is much higher, reaching up to 12 cm.

The main obstacles to physiotherapists guiding principles are lack of independence and authority to implement them and lack of time to search and evaluate research evidence.  Physiotherapy translation is focused to integrate research into practice and to improve patient outcomes. It facilitates an active process that includes blending, distributing and discussing the best existing evidence.

Research has demonstrated that physiotherapy translators have an influence on the practice transformation. Even though physiotherapists generally recognize the influence of psychological, social and cognitive factors on pain and disability, they tend to associate pain with tissue or structural damage, and act consequently. Since the focal waves arrive more inside, they also produce more pain, being necessary, sometimes, to apply some type of anesthesia. The radial waves, are much less annoying.

Types of treatment and consequences

This type of treatment, among other consequences, accelerates the production of collagen, necessary for the reconstruction of any type of tissues. In addition, treatment by shock waves in physiotherapy allows the dissolution of calcifications (calcaneal spur or osteoarthritis), avoiding the need to be removed by surgery. Shock waves are effective in physiotherapy in 9 cases out of 10. Therefore, only in 10% it is necessary to use other types of therapies.

In short, shock waves produce destruction at the level of cells and tissues, which, after an inflammatory response, lead to their reconstruction. With this, the problems of chronic pain (shoulders, all kinds of lumbalgias or trigger points) that usually motivate this type of therapy usually disappear. The application of the waves is not done all at once, but the sessions spread over time. In particular, it is important to leave tissues the necessary time to give a restorative response.

Another type of interesting application is found in the case of fractures, in order that the regeneration is adequate, and may even delay bone consolidation, when it is considered appropriate (in the case of tendinitis, sprains or strains). The observed effects as a result of the shock waves application in physiotherapy range from the increase in collagen production and the elimination of calcifications, previously mentioned, to the formation of new blood vessels, cure of chronic inflammations, dispersion of substance P (pain mediator), etc …

Improving treatments with physiotherapy translators

Structural interventions, such as reconsideration of formal integration of services, professional roles, continuity of care and medical multidisciplinary teams, are effective. Medical or physiotherapy translators are not a luxury, but individuals regularly hired by physiotherapists and patients to communicate ideas more efficiently. Especially trained in medical linguistics of their original and target languages, in order to explain illness and remedies physiotherapy translators are united with doctors by their passion for medicine and their love for patient care.

Shock wave treatments are increasingly present in physiotherapy clinics. In general, between 3 and 5 sessions are applied, leaving between 3 and 10 days in between, depending on the type of problem, the response of the tissues, and the tolerance of the patient. Research has shown the difficulties experienced by physicians when implementing procedures to treat musculoskeletal disorders and the important role that physiotherapy translators can have in expanding new techniques all over the world.