Shockwave therapy is a modern and highly effective treatment option in orthopedic and rehabilitation medicine. The term shockwave refers to mechanical pressure pulses that expand as a wave in the body. In modern pain therapy, shockwave energy is conducted from the point of origin to the painful body regions, where it applies its healing capacities.

The first medical treatment with shockwaves was lithotripsy. The use of shockwaves to treat tendon related pain began in the early 1990s.