{"id":17710,"date":"2017-06-08T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2017-06-08T15:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=17710"},"modified":"2017-06-08T08:00:26","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T15:00:26","slug":"wave-technology-the-future-of-ed-treatments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/wave-technology-the-future-of-ed-treatments\/","title":{"rendered":"Wave Technology: The Future of ED Treatments?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Erectile
Wave Technology: The Future of ED Treatments?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0Viagra and the handful of other erectile dysfunction drugs that have followed it to market have enabled millions of men to resume relatively normal sex lives. However, these pills don\u2019t work for everyone. Now, low-intensity shockwave therapy is emerging as a promising new treatment for ED that might help some men for whom Viagra and the other ED drugs simply do not work. Even better yet, a series or two of these shockwave treatments could provide a long-term solution to this troubling health problem, a vast improvement over the 4 to 36 hours of relief that the ED drugs provide.<\/p>\n

Before you flush your Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis pills down the toilet, it should be pointed out that shockwave therapy has thus far been shown most effective for the treatment of mild to moderate ED. If your impotence is more serious or deeply entrenched than that, this new therapy may not be enough to totally reverse your symptoms of ED. However, it could make you more responsive to the ED drugs that haven\u2019t worked for you in the past.<\/p>\n

Treats Vascular-Related ED<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Like the oral ED medications, known collectively as PDE5 inhibitors, shockwave therapy seems to work best on men whose ED symptoms are caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis.<\/p>\n

The inspiration for the use of shockwave therapy to treat ED came from the use of much stronger shockwaves to break down kidney stones into particles as small as grains of sand so that they could pass from the body with minimal discomfort. That technique, known as extracorporeal (outside the body) shockwave lithotripsy, uses high-energy shockwaves to target larger kidney stones that show up in the kidneys or the ureter, the duct that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. This form of treatment has been in use since the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Also Treats Sports Injuries<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Shockwave therapy has also been found successful in the treatment of sports injuries. Over the last couple of decades, this therapy has been used to treat a variety of sports injuries, including tendinitis and strained ligaments. Shockwave therapy\u2019s success on the sports medicine front would seem to indicate that it combats inflammation, which is at the heart of many sports injuries. Inflammation is also believed to play a significant role in a wide array of illnesses, including arthritis, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and others.<\/p>\n

For the last decade or more, research scientists have been seeking to determine whether low-intensity shockwave therapy might somehow alleviate the symptoms of ED. Although these studies have produced encouraging results, the precise mechanism through which shockwave therapy reduces ED symptoms is not yet fully understood.<\/p>\n

Although medical scientists don\u2019t yet feel confident enough to fully explain the ways in which shockwave therapy treats ED, many speculate that the delivery of low-intensity shockwaves to the penis improves circulation in existing blood vessels and encourages the growth of new blood vessels. The therapy\u2019s anti-inflammatory effects might well play a role also.<\/p>\n

Israeli Study Cited<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In one of the more recent studies, published in the May 2016 issue of \u201cThe Journal of Urology,\u201d<\/a> an Israeli research team recruited a number of male volunteers, all of whom suffered from vasculogenic ED that had failed to respond to treatment with PDE5 inhibitors.<\/p>\n

The Israeli research team treated 37 of the volunteers with low-intensity shockwave therapy, while another 18 study participants were treated with a sham probe. After treatment, just over 54 percent of those who received low-intensity shockwave treatment were able to achieve erections firm enough for intercourse. None of the volunteers subjected to sham treatment was able to do the same.<\/p>\n

Some Given Sham Treatment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sixteen of the 18 study participants who were originally given sham treatment were later subjected to low-intensity shockwave therapy. After getting the real treatment, 56.3 percent of this group were able to achieve an erection strong enough for penetration.<\/p>\n

\"Erectile
The machine above is used to deliver the high-energy shockwaves used to break up kidney stones that have lodged in the kidney or ureter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the conclusion to their study, the researchers noted a better than 50 percent response to shockwave treatment among men who failed to get results from oral ED drugs.<\/p>\n

They also pointed out that some of the men showing positive results suffered from severe ED, a finding suggesting that shockwave therapy could offer hope for treating all degrees of ED.<\/p>\n

Findings Found Promising<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Interviewed for an article posted at FoxNews.com<\/a>, Cincinnati-area urologist Kevin Campbell, M.D., told writer Stephanie Bucklin that evidence from research studies is \u201ccertainly promising.\u201d However, he said that he would want to know a bit more about the nature of shockwave therapy before he could recommend it to his patients. Specifically, Dr. Campbell said he\u2019d like to learn exactly how this form of therapy works and also learn the best way to administer the shockwaves.<\/p>\n

Dr. Campbell, a physician in the Urology Group with offices in Hamilton and Oxford, Ohio, said that the most positive aspect of shockwave therapy is its ability to treat the cause of ED and not just its symptoms.<\/p>\n

If this article has piqued your interest and you\u2019d like to read additional articles on consumer health topics, check out our blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Viagra and the handful of other erectile dysfunction drugs that have followed it to market have enabled millions of men to resume relatively normal sex lives. However, these pills don\u2019t work for everyone. Now, low-intensity shockwave therapy is emerging as a promising new treatment for ED that might help some men for whom Viagra and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-17710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-erectile-dysfunction","tag-erectile-dysfunction-2"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t