Services  ·  Shockwave Therapy

For the pain that hasn't
responded to anything else.

Shockwave therapy is a clinically proven, non-invasive treatment for chronic pain and tendon injuries. If you've had months of stretching, massage, or cortisone injections without lasting results, shockwave works differently — it stimulates the tissue to actually heal, rather than masking the pain.

What Is Shockwave Therapy

Your body knows how to heal.
Sometimes it just needs a signal.

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) uses focused acoustic energy — precisely delivered pulses — to target damaged or degenerated tissue. The energy creates a controlled micro-trauma at the tissue level, which restarts the body's natural healing cascade in areas that have become chronically inflamed, calcified, or stuck in a failed repair cycle.

This is why shockwave works on conditions that haven't responded to stretching, massage, or cortisone: those treatments address symptoms or temporarily reduce inflammation. Shockwave addresses the tissue itself — stimulating new blood vessel formation, breaking down calcific deposits, and triggering the cellular response needed for genuine repair.

New blood supply
Tendons heal slowly mostly because they have poor blood supply. Shockwave stimulates new vessel growth into the area, which means more nutrients reaching the tissue that needs to repair.
Breaking up calcium
Focused acoustic energy mechanically disrupts calcium deposits in tendons and soft tissue. Particularly effective for calcific shoulder tendinopathy and chronic heel pain.
Turning down the pain signal
Chronic pain partly persists because the nerves in the area stay sensitized. Shockwave reduces the chemical messenger driving that, which is why many people feel better right after a session.
Rebuilding the tissue
It switches on the cells that lay down collagen, restoring the structure of a degenerated tendon or ligament. That's actual repair, not symptom management.
The Device We Use
Piezowave by Richard Wolf —
focused ESWT, not radial.

Most shockwave devices in chiropractic and physical therapy offices use radial (ballistic) shockwave — energy that disperses broadly from a surface applicator. The Piezowave uses piezoelectric focused shockwave technology, which concentrates acoustic energy at a precise focal point deep in the tissue — exactly where the pathology is.

Focused delivery
Energy is concentrated at a specific tissue depth, not spread across a surface area. More precise, and better at reaching deep structures.
Medical-grade
Richard Wolf is a medical device manufacturer. The Piezowave platform is used in hospital and sports medicine settings worldwide.
Better for tendons
Focused ESWT consistently outperforms radial ESWT in clinical literature for tendinopathies, plantar fasciitis, and calcific conditions.
Conditions Treated

Best for chronic pain that
hasn't responded to other treatment.

Shockwave is not a first-line treatment for acute injuries. It's most effective for chronic, stubborn conditions where tissue has failed to heal normally — typically pain lasting more than 3 months despite conservative care.

Plantar Fasciitis & Heel Pain
Strong Evidence

One of the most well-researched uses of shockwave. Chronic plantar fasciitis — the stabbing heel pain that's worst on your first steps in the morning — responds well to focused shockwave when stretching and orthotics haven't produced lasting change. It breaks down the chronic tissue at the fascial insertion and stimulates genuine repair. Most people see significant improvement within 3 to 5 sessions.

Achilles Tendon Pain
Strong Evidence

Chronic thickening, stiffness and pain in the Achilles is notoriously hard to resolve with heel-drop exercises alone. The middle of the Achilles has poor blood supply, which is exactly why it heals slowly and exactly why shockwave's blood-supply effect matters here. It promotes repair while calming the pain sensitivity that makes every step uncomfortable.

Rotator Cuff & Calcific Shoulder
Strong Evidence

Shockwave has among the strongest evidence of any non-surgical option for calcific rotator cuff tendinopathy — calcium deposits in the shoulder that cause severe pain with overhead movement. The focused energy disrupts the deposit and lets the body clear it. For rotator cuff pain without calcification, it promotes tendon repair and breaks the chronic pain cycle limiting your shoulder.

Kneecap Tendon Pain (Jumper's Knee)
Good Evidence

Pain just below the kneecap, worse with jumping, squatting and going down stairs, often plateaus with loading programs alone. Shockwave combined with progressive tendon loading produces better outcomes than either on its own. Here, shockwave sessions are paired with the loading progressions from your Foundational Movement Program visits.

Tennis Elbow & Golfer's Elbow
Good Evidence

Pain on the outside or inside of the elbow is one of the most common repetitive strain problems in active adults and desk workers. Cortisone gives short-term relief but often leaves the tissue worse off long term. Shockwave promotes real repair at the tendon's attachment and reduces the sensitivity that makes gripping and lifting painful.

Outer Hip Pain
Good Evidence

Pain on the outside of the hip is often called bursitis, but it's usually a glute tendon problem at the bony point of the hip. It flares with sitting cross-legged, lying on that side, and climbing stairs. Cortisone is commonly offered and rarely lasts. Shockwave combined with hip loading and movement correction produces durable results where other treatments have failed.

What to Expect

A typical shockwave session
from start to finish.

1
Finding the target
Dr. Cagape locates the exact tissue by hand and confirms the treatment zone. The Piezowave's focal depth is then set based on how deep the structure sits.
2
Treatment, 10 to 15 minutes
The applicator is applied to the skin with gel. You'll feel a repetitive pulse, which most people describe as a deep tapping or pressure. Intensity is adjusted to what you can tolerate, and the area usually feels warm during and after.
3
Right afterwards
Many people notice less pain immediately. Some get temporary soreness for 24 to 48 hours as the healing response kicks in, which is normal and expected. Avoid anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen for 48 hours afterwards, because the inflammation shockwave triggers is part of how it works.
4
Course of treatment
Most conditions need 3 to 5 sessions spaced 5 to 7 days apart. Sessions are often combined with chiropractic and coached corrective exercise for a more complete outcome. You'll get a clear plan after your exam, and you pay one session at a time.
Shockwave Therapy Pricing
Per session
$150
Standalone, or added to any visit. Billed one session at a time.
Member rate
$110
With the MMC Membership, $49 a month. Cancel any time.
Cash-pay  ·  HSA / FSA accepted  ·  nothing prepaid and no packages  ·  new patients begin with a $180 exam so we can confirm shockwave is the right tool
Worth doing the math on
Shockwave is the clearest case where the membership pays for itself.

Because a course is 3 to 5 sessions inside a few weeks, the $40 you save per session outruns the $49 fee almost immediately.

A 3-session course
$450 standard. As a member, $330 plus one month at $49, so $379.
You keep $71
A 5-session course
$750 standard. As a member, $550 plus two months at $49, so $648.
You keep $102

And the membership keeps working after the course ends: lower rates on every visit, 25% off Thorne supplements, and Dr. Cagape monitoring your Wiggl logs so the tendon that just got better doesn't quietly go backwards.

Is It Right for Me

Shockwave is not for everyone.
Here's how to know if it's for you.

Good candidates
→ Chronic tendon pain lasting 3 months or more
→ Tried stretching, massage, or cortisone without lasting results
→ Calcium deposits confirmed on imaging
→ Want to avoid cortisone injections or surgery
→ Able to come in weekly for a few weeks
When we won't treat
× Acute injury, less than 6 weeks old
× Blood clotting disorders or blood-thinning medication
× Active infection or open wound in the area
× Pregnancy, over the treatment area
× Cancer in or near the treatment area
Not sure if shockwave is right for your condition? Book a new patient exam. Dr. Cagape will review your history, examine the tissue, and give you an honest recommendation, including whether a different treatment would serve you better.
Quick Answers

Frequently asked.

The Treatment
Does it hurt? +
It's uncomfortable rather than painful for most people, described as a deep tapping or pressure over the sore spot. The intensity is adjustable throughout, so tell Dr. Cagape and it gets turned down. Sessions are 10 to 15 minutes.
How many sessions will I need? +
Most conditions need 3 to 5, spaced 5 to 7 days apart. You'll get a specific number after your exam rather than a guess, and you're billed one session at a time, so you can stop whenever you want.
How soon will I feel a difference? +
Many people feel less pain straight after the first session, because shockwave calms the pain signal quickly. The tissue repair takes longer and builds over the course of treatment and the weeks after it. Feeling better early is a good sign, not a reason to stop.
Why can't I take ibuprofen afterwards? +
Shockwave works by deliberately provoking a healing response, and part of that response is inflammation. Anti-inflammatories blunt exactly the process you paid for. Avoid them for 48 hours after each session. If you take an anti-inflammatory regularly for another condition, tell Dr. Cagape and don't stop it on your own.
Can I have it in the same appointment as an adjustment? +
Yes, and it usually works better that way. Shockwave repairs the tissue; the adjustment and coached exercise change the load going through it. Treating the tendon without fixing what overloaded it is how these problems come back.
How is this different from the shockwave at other clinics? +
Most clinics use radial shockwave, where the energy spreads out from the surface. We use focused shockwave, which concentrates the energy at a set depth inside the tissue. For deep structures and tendon problems, focused consistently performs better in the research. Worth asking any clinic which type they have before you book.
Cost & Booking
What does it cost? +
$150 per session, or $110 as a member. Billed one session at a time. There are no packages and nothing is prepaid, so you're never buying sessions you might not need.
Is the membership worth it just for shockwave? +
For a course of 3 or more sessions, yes. You save $40 a session and the membership costs $49 a month, so it pays for itself within the second session. A 3-session course costs $71 less as a member and a 5-session course costs $102 less. Cancel when you're done if you don't want to keep it, though the lower rates on every other visit are usually the reason people do.
Is shockwave covered by insurance? +
No. Shockwave is not covered by most plans, including Landmark and United Healthcare. It's cash-pay. HSA and FSA are accepted, and we can provide a superbill if you want to submit it to your plan yourself.
Do I need the $180 exam first? +
If you're a new patient, yes. Shockwave is the wrong treatment for a lot of the pain people assume it will fix, and the exam is how we find out which one you have. If it isn't the right tool, you'll be told at the exam and pointed somewhere better.

Done managing it.
Ready to actually fix it.

Book a new patient exam. Dr. Cagape will assess whether shockwave is the right tool for your condition and build a clear plan with a real number of sessions on it. Ask about the membership while you're there.

Book My $180 New Patient Exam → or call / text (408) 519-2269

Modern Movement Chiropractic  ·  133 S. Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035  ·  (408) 519-2269  ·  Dr. Daniel Cagape, DC, CPT  ·  California Licensed Chiropractor

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