Shockwave works by passing energy waves, an intense but short energy pulse that travels faster than the speed of sound, into the tissues. The treatment initiates a pro-inflammatory response in the tissue where it is applied. The body responds by increasing the blood circulation and metabolism in the impact area, which in turn accelerates the body’s healing processes via three mechanisms:

Promotes angio-genesis (development of new blood vessels) in the penis, which means that the blood flow to the penis increases, and hence more robust erections are achieved;
Rejuvenates the endothelium and penis smooth muscle – Shockwave has been shown to induce the body to repair the endothelium and smooth muscle in the penis and thus improve the function of the veno-occlusive mechanism; and
There is some evidence to suggest that Shockwave therapy can also improve the functioning of the penile nerves if these have been damaged following a radical prostatectomy or because of diabetes.

We recommend a minimum of 6 Shockwave sessions (1-3 per week). However, this is an area of active research.

Several treatment protocols have been suggested, some lasting only 4 sessions and some as long as 12 sessions and the clinical trials investigating these protocols are quite different in several ways (energy of the shockwaves applied, number of shockwaves, number of sessions, duration of treatment and time between sessions and the technology of the shockwave machines). This means that the optimum number of sessions is likely to be patient-specific.

For patients with mild to moderate ED, we recommend six sessions and 9-12 sessions for patients with more severe erection issues.