Help Injured Athletes Recover Faster and Get Back in the Game
Shockwave Therapy for Youth Athletes on Long Island
How shockwave therapy gets youth athletes say in the game. On the field. On the court. Why some call shockwave a “miracle cure.”
When a young athlete gets hurt, every day matters.
Missing practices can become missing games. Missing games can become a lost season.
Shockwave therapy is being used throughout sports medicine to treat injuries, support recovery, and help athletes return to their sport.
Professional athletes use it. Olympic athletes use it. Leading pediatric sports medicine programs use it.
Now youth athletes on Long Island have access to this technology from a trained and certified shockwave provider.
Dr. Don Wallace in Smithtown NY
Long Island Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, PLLC
ASMST Certified in Shockwave Therapy
221 Five-Star Google Reviews
Have an injured athlete? Schedule an evaluation with Dr. Wallace.
The Pros Use Shockwave. Why Shouldn't Your Athletes Have Access to It?
Shockwave therapy isn’t something that suddenly appeared in youth sports.
It has been used in elite sports medicine for years. The clinical summary provided for this page describes shockwave use across professional sports and Olympic programs.
Dr. Amol Saxena has treated athletes at every level. That includes youth athletes, Olympic athletes, and professionals.
His message about shockwave is hard to ignore:
“In order to compete with other teams, if you have shock wave, it’s a huge advantage.”
Dr. Amol Saxena
For athletic directors, coaches, and club directors, that raises an important question:
Does your program have access to shockwave when an athlete gets hurt?
What Professional Athletes Know About Shockwave
Professional sports teams have access to treatment options most young athletes never hear about. Did you know that every NBA, NFL and MLB team uses shockwave thearpy to keep their pros playing?
Dr. Jason Levy is with Advanced Performance & Rehabilitation Center and serves as team chiropractor for the New York Jets and New York Red Bulls.
He describes treating professional football and soccer players for problems involving the hips, Achilles, plantar fascia, shoulders, lower backs, quadriceps, and more.
According to Dr. Levy:
“EPAT (shockwave) has become very popular with the players. We’ve had exceptional success and achieved great results.”
And he makes an even stronger statement:
“When it comes to getting athletes better faster and back in the game, this technology is invaluable.”
Dr. Jason Levy, DC
Team Chiropractor for the NY Jets and NY Red Bulls
For Long Island athletes, this isn’t some faraway professional sports story.
The same type of technology is available here.
Shockwave Isn't Just for Professional Athletes
Dr. Saxena is the in-coming Vice-President of the American Society for Medical Shockwave Treatment. Dr. Saxena has worked with athletes ranging from youth sports to the Olympics.
He reported having approximately 30 patients compete in Olympic trials. In 2016, he said six of his patients won Olympic medals.
But his experience isn’t limited to elite athletes.
When specifically asked about shockwave for high school and college-age athletes, Dr. Saxena said:
“I’ve done a lot of that… it’s a game changer for shin splints for high school kids.”
He also stressed the importance of early intervention for athletes.
That matters.
Waiting weeks to see whether an injury goes away can cost an athlete a significant part of their season.
Getting the injury properly evaluated early gives the athlete and family more information about their options.
Loved by Happy Patients
One of America's Leading Sports Surgeons Used Shockwave on His Own Son
Sometimes the best way to understand a treatment is to see what a doctor does when the patient is his own child.
Dr. Martin O’Malley is an orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery.
He is the team doctor for the Brooklyn Nets, USA Basketball, and New York Giants. Among his patients: Kevin Durant, Tiger Woods, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Vince Carter, Kevin Love, Saquon Barkley, Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham Jr., Megan Rapinoe, Breanna Stewart, and more than 150 others across the NFL, NBA, WNBA, PGA, and beyond.
Then his own 16-year-old son suffered a tibia and fibula fracture.
Surgery was performed. Three months later, the fracture wasn’t healing.
Dr. O’Malley searched the medical literature for another option and found extracorporeal shockwave therapy.
He obtained a shockwave machine and used the treatment on his son.
According to Dr. O’Malley’s account:
“We shocked him for six weeks, and after six weeks his tibia made great progress and healed. He went on to play college soccer and became captain of his college soccer team.”
That’s not a story about a professional athlete.
It’s a story about a doctor, a father, and his teenage athlete.
Boston Children's Hospital Uses Shockwave for Youth Athletes
This is not just about professional sports.
Shockwave has also entered pediatric sports medicine.
Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School was named the #1 pediatric sports medicine program in the world by Newsweek.
Boston Children’s Hospital, uses shockwave for it’s youth patients. Specifically for treating middle school, high school, and collegiate athletes. Including throwing and overuse injuries.
That’s important for parents and coaches.
Youth athletes aren’t simply smaller professional athletes. They are still growing.
Their injuries need to be evaluated and treated appropriately.
What Does the Research Say About Shockwave and Growing Athletes?
One of the first questions parents ask is:
“What about growth plates?”
It’s an important question.
According to the clinical summary provided for this page, earlier ISMST guidance listed epiphyseal plates as a contraindication for high-energy focused shockwave.
The summary reports that the third edition of the ISMST guidelines removed open growth plates from the contraindications list.
Research involving adolescent athletes is also encouraging.
One study summarized in the report involved 22 athletes ages 11 to 15 with Osgood-Schlatter disease or Sever’s disease.
The reported results included:
63% returned to sport within two weeks. This is huge. Before shockwave the treatment included imbolizing the leg and rest from 6 weeks to 6 months, in some instances.
With shockwave complete pain relief was reported after one to three sessions.
No adverse events were reported.
Other research summarized in the report includes longer-term follow-up of young athletes treated with shockwave, including studies involving open growth plates.
Every athlete is different.
That’s why proper diagnosis and evaluation matter.
What Youth Sports Injuries May Be Evaluated for Shockwave?
Shockwave has applications across many common musculoskeletal injuries.
For youth athletes, these may include:
-
Osgood-Schlatter Disease
Common knee pain in growing athletes. -
Sever's Disease
Heel pain often seen in growing athletes. -
Patellar Tendinopathy
Often called jumper's knee. - Achilles Tendinopathy
- Little League Elbow
- Shin Splints
- Stress Injuries
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Muscle Injuries and Myofascial Pain
- Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Problems
- Certain Back and Soft-Tissue Injuries
-
Healing fractures
Shockwave helps heal fractures faster and better. -
Post surgical shockwave
Dr. Saxena describes shockwave for post-surgical care. Getting athletes back on the field/ game up to 2 months faster.
These conditions and applications are discussed in the youth-athlete clinical reference supplied for this page.
Shockwave isn’t appropriate for every injury.
The first step is getting the right diagnosis.
As Dr. Saxena said, Shockwave “…is the closest thing we have to a miracle cure…”
How Does Shockwave Therapy Work?
Shockwave therapy delivers acoustic energy into an injured area through a handheld device placed against the skin.
It is non-invasive.
Most sessions described in the clinical summary take approximately 10 to 20 minutes.
The acoustic energy produces biological responses within the treated tissue.
The research summary describes effects involving new blood-vessel formation, growth factors, tissue repair, pain signaling, and other healing processes.
The goal isn’t simply to cover up pain.
The goal is to help the injured area recover.
Treat Injuries. Speed Recovery. Keep Athletes Playing.
One of the biggest differences between elite sports and youth sports is access.
Professional athletes have medical and recovery teams surrounding them.
They don’t necessarily wait several weeks and hope an injury disappears.
Shockwave technologies are used by athletes for different purposes, including injuries, muscle soreness, and recovery.
Dr. Saxena describes professional athletes and elite running organizations using different forms of shockwave technology as part of their regular care and recovery.
He also describes shockwave being used during the season and even during games.
Youth athletes deserve to know what options are available to them, too.
A Message for Long Island Athletic Directors, Coaches and Club Directors
You spend enormous amounts of time developing your athletes.
Then someone gets hurt.
Your starting pitcher develops elbow pain.
Your soccer player has Achilles pain.
Your runner gets shin splints.
Your basketball player develops knee pain.
Your gymnast has a nagging muscle injury.
What happens next?
Dr. Saxena has spoken with doctors, coaches, and athletic directors about shockwave. He says sports programs should engage with properly qualified shockwave providers to help keep their athletes healthy.
That doesn’t mean every injured athlete needs shockwave.
It means your program should know who to call when an athlete gets hurt.
That resource is now available on Long Island.
H2 Not Everyone With a Shockwave Machine Is a Shockwave Expert
This may be one of the most important things for coaches and parents to understand.
Buying a shockwave machine doesn’t make someone a shockwave expert.
Dr. Saxena emphasizes two things:
1. You need the right diagnosis.
2. The provider needs to be properly trained.
He specifically warns about providers simply buying machines without following established protocols.
When discussing sports programs using shockwave, he again stressed proper diagnosis and training.
That’s why Dr. Wallace’s training matters.
Why Dr. Don Wallace's ASMST Certification Matters
Dr. Wallace is ASMST Certified in Shockwave Therapy.
The American Society for Medical Shockwave Treatment focuses on shockwave education, research, training, and clinical protocols.
Dr. Saxena describes ASMST education as including hands-on training, current research, treatment protocols, and keeping providers current as shockwave technology evolves.
For a parent, coach, or athletic director, that provides an important distinction.
Don’t just ask whether a provider has a shockwave machine.
Ask whether the provider has been trained in shockwave.
Dr. Wallace has.
Why Long Island Athletes Choose Dr. Don Wallace
Technology matters.
The person using it matters more.
Dr. Wallace combines shockwave training with the resources of Long Island Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, PLLC.
And his patients have spoken.
221 Five-Star Google Reviews
For parents, coaches, and athletic directors, that’s another level of confidence.
You aren’t sending an athlete to someone who simply purchased a shockwave machine.
You’re sending them to an established healthcare provider who has pursued specialized shockwave training.
Don't Automatically Give Up Weeks of the Season
Sometimes rest is appropriate.
Sometimes an athlete needs imaging.
Sometimes they need physical therapy.
Sometimes they need another specialist.
And sometimes shockwave may be an option.
The important thing is knowing what you’re dealing with before valuable weeks disappear.
Dr. Wallace can evaluate the athlete and determine whether shockwave is appropriate or whether another course of care makes more sense.
Give Your Athletes Access to Shockwave
Professional athletes have access to shockwave.
Olympic athletes have access to shockwave.
Leading pediatric sports medicine programs use shockwave.
Your athletes should at least know whether it could be an option for them.
If you’re a Long Island athletic director, coach, club director, parent, or athlete dealing with a sports injury, talk with Dr. Wallace.
Dr. Don Wallace
Long Island Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, PLLC
ASMST Certified in Shockwave Therapy 221 Five-Star Google Reviews
Have an Injured Athlete?
Schedule an evaluation with Dr. Wallace today.