Shockwave Therapy Exhibits Significant Antibacterial Effects
Updated: Jun 15, 2023
Authors: Ludger Gerdesmeyer, Christof von Eiff, Carsten Horn, Mark Henne, Michaela Roessner, Peter Diehl, Hans Gollwitzer
A study conducted on the effect of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy (ESWT) on Staphylococcus aureus bacteria found that it can significantly reduce bacterial growth in an energy-dependent manner. The study exposed standardised suspensions of S. aureus to different impulse numbers of shock waves with an energy flux density (ED) up to 0.96 mJ mm(-2) (2 Hz). Viable bacteria were quantified by culture and compared with untreated control.
The study found that after applying 4000 impulses, a significant bactericidal effect was observed with a threshold ED of 0.59 mJ mm(-2). A threshold impulse number of more than 1000 impulses was necessary to reduce bacterial growth. Further elevation of energy and impulse number exponentially increased bacterial killing.
The study concludes that ESWT has a significant antibacterial effect in an energy-dependent manner. It shows promise in treating certain types of difficult-to-treat infections. This could open up new applications for ESWT in the field of medicine.
This study is particularly relevant as bacteria continue to develop resistance to antibiotics. Shockwave therapy could provide an alternative treatment method for bacterial infections.
Reading about shockwave therapy’s antibacterial properties took me straight back to a summer I spent volunteering at a rural clinic in Kenya. We didn’t have access to advanced antibiotics, so we relied heavily on physical debridement and the occasional use of low‑intensity ultrasound to clean stubborn wounds. One night a young boy arrived with a deep leg ulcer that had been festering for weeks; the usual cleaning methods barely made a dent, and the infection was spreading. I remember the senior clinician suggesting we try a handheld shockwave device they had borrowed from a research team. After a few minutes of treatment, the exudate cleared, the tissue looked healthier, and within days the infection receded dramatically without any new drugs.…