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Myeloma, Sacroiliac Joint Pain and Shockwave Therapy

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Myeloma, sacroiliac joint pain and shockwave therapy. In my never-ending search for therapies to manage my long and growing list of long-term and late stage side effects comes shockwave therapy.

Though extracorporeal shockwave therapy ESWT has nothing to do with MM, it is “contraindicated” for ESWT according to the article linked below so I had to do a little research.

A more complete explanation– deterioration of muscle mass and nerve strength in my lower body due to radiation-induced lumbosacral plexopathy exposed me to SI joint pain resulting from a fall this past year.


Is shockwave therapy effective in managing sacroiliac joint pain?

Potential Benefits:

  1. Pain Reduction: Some studies suggest that shockwave therapy may help reduce pain associated with SIJ dysfunction. The therapy is believed to stimulate healing by promoting blood flow, reducing inflammation, and facilitating tissue regeneration.
  2. Improvement in Mobility: By reducing pain and inflammation, ESWT may contribute to improved mobility and function in patients with SIJ pain.

Limitations:

  1. Limited Research: The research on shockwave therapy specifically for SIJ pain is not as extensive as for other conditions, like plantar fasciitis or tendinopathies. More high-quality, randomized controlled trials are needed to firmly establish its efficacy for SIJ pain.
  2. Individual Response: The effectiveness of shockwave therapy can vary depending on the individual. Some patients may experience significant relief, while others may not notice much improvement.
  3. Combination with Other Therapies: Often, shockwave therapy is used in conjunction with other treatments, such as physical therapy, manual therapy, or medications. This makes it difficult to isolate its effects.

Unfortunately, there are few effective treatments for SI joint pain. And before I consider any sort of invasive therapy such as surgery, I’m pursuing physical therapy, acupuncture, and now shockwave therapy.

I will begin several weeks of shockwave therapy in an effort to fix my SI joint pain. I will keep you posted.

If you are interested in learning more about sacroiliac joint pain and shockwave therapy email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com

thank you,

David Emerson

  • MM Survivor
  • MM Cancer Coach
  • Director PeopleBeatingCancer

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the supportive care and rehabilitation of cancer patients

“Cancer patients sometimes show immobilizing musculoskeletal conditions which prohibit active exercise due to severe bodily pain. Therefore, before starting a rehabilitative exercise program, the pain has to be reduced to enable the patient to participate actively in the exercise program. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT, the application of radial and/or focused shock waves with low or high energy) has been shown to be effective and efficient in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. However, one historical paradigm was the fact that, in the past, cancer was seen as a contraindication for the use of ESWT…

Malignant tumors in the treatment area have to be seen as a contraindication for the use of ESWT treatment. Cancer itself—in the form of the underlying disease—is not a contraindication for the treatment with radial and focused shock wave therapy with low or high energy.

Plantar fasciitis and calcaneal spurs, calcified shoulder, tennis elbow or Achilles tendinopathy, and delayed healing and chronic wounds are typical approved standard indications for ESWT, and are allowed when the malignant tumor is not in the treatment area.

There are also other musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal indications (e.g., myofascial syndrome, erectile dysfunction, polyneuropathy, and lymphedema) that are relevant for cancer survivors.

These indications are recommended by the International Society for Medical Shockwave Treatment (ISMST) for “common empirically tested clinical use” and as exceptional indications/expert indications…

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in musculoskeletal disorders is a conservative treatment modality, which has been developed over the last 25 years, and has been shown to be both very effective and time- and cost-efficient [, ]. Nevertheless, there are several historical (and “traditional”) paradigms which have changed during this time period; one of them was the fact that, in the past, cancer represented a contraindication for the use of ESWT [, , ]…

Malignant tumors, metastasis, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma in the treatment area have to be seen as contraindications for treatment with radial and focused shock waves with low and high energy.

Cancer itself, in the form of the underlying disease, is not a contraindication for ESWT []. Active leukemia and leukemic phase of lymphoma (not in remission) are, however, contraindications for the use of ESWT.

A minimum level of standard examinations before performing ESWT is necessary, including clinical examination, radiological imaging, and neurological and/or laboratory diagnostic tests…

In our opinion, ESWT is a very effective, safe, and time- and cost-efficient method, which can be considered as an interesting modality in the supportive care and rehabilitation of cancer patients.

ESWT could thus be an effective way to reduce pain and mobilize cancer patients to attend rehabilitation programs and/or to return to work, for example, in cases of calcaneal spurs or calcific tendinitis of the shoulder, which are both very immobilizing conditions in both cancer and non-cancer patients.

Thus, ESWT can be considered as a good measure when being used for the above-described indications. Nevertheless, further research is urgently needed to identify the technical parameters (number of sessions, energy transmitted) to implement ESWT as a safe and efficient tool for specific indications (e.g., polyneuropathy or lymphedema) in cancer rehabilitation.”

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