Before starting shockwave therapy, patients should give their chiropractor a clear picture of their symptoms, medical history, previous injuries, current activities, prior treatment, and any meaningful changes in how the problem behaves. This information helps the provider evaluate whether shockwave therapy is appropriate and determine what area, if any, should be treated.
Patients do not need to arrive knowing their diagnosis or understanding the technology behind treatment. What matters more is being able to describe what they are experiencing as accurately as possible.
Why Does Your Chiropractor Need More Than the Location of Pain?
Pointing to a painful spot is helpful, but it does not explain the entire problem.
A person may say that their heel, shoulder, elbow, or knee hurts, yet several structures can contribute to symptoms in those areas. The way the problem began, which activities trigger it, how long it lasts, and whether function has changed can all provide useful context.
For example, two people may both report discomfort near the Achilles tendon.
One may have gradually developed symptoms after increasing running mileage. The other may have experienced sudden pain during a single athletic movement.
What Should You Say About When the Problem Started?
The timeline is one of the most useful pieces of information a patient can provide.
Try to remember whether symptoms:
- Began suddenly
- Developed gradually
- Followed a specific injury
- Appeared after increasing an activity
- Started after changing exercise or training
- Have been present intermittently for months
- Recently became more frequent or intense
There is a meaningful difference between soreness that appeared after an unusual workout and a localized problem that returns every time normal activity resumes.
Patients should also mention whether there was a period when symptoms disappeared completely before returning.
That pattern may help the chiropractor understand how the problem responds to rest, activity, or loading.
Should You Describe What the Pain Feels Like?
Yes, but there is no need to search for the perfect medical term.
Patients can simply describe the sensation in their own words.
For example:
- Dull
- Sharp
- Aching
- Tender
- Stiff
- Burning
- Throbbing
- Tight
- Sensitive to pressure
It is also useful to explain whether symptoms remain in one defined location or spread into another area.
The objective is not for the patient to diagnose what structure is affected. Instead, the description provides another piece of information that can be considered alongside examination findings.
Why Should You Explain Which Activities Trigger Symptoms?
Musculoskeletal complaints often reveal useful patterns during activity.
Someone might feel comfortable during normal walking but develop symptoms while running. Another person may notice discomfort only after repetitive gripping, lifting, reaching, or jumping.
Those patterns can help a shockwave therapy chiropractor understand how the problem affects function.
Patients should think about everyday situations as well as exercise.
Useful details may include whether symptoms change during:
- Walking
- Running
- Climbing stairs
- Lifting
- Computer work
- Driving
- Recreational sports
- Repetitive hand movements
- Standing for long periods
- Certain sleeping positions
It can also be useful to explain what happens after activity.
Does discomfort settle within minutes? Does it persist for the rest of the day? Is the area more uncomfortable the following morning?
That information gives the provider a more complete picture than pain intensity alone.
Should You Mention Previous Injuries?
Yes.
Previous injuries may or may not be related to the current complaint, but they can still provide important background.
Tell the chiropractor about significant injuries involving the same area or nearby regions, even if they happened several years ago.
Patients may also want to mention previous:
- Sprains
- Strains
- Fractures
- Sports injuries
- Falls
- Vehicle collisions
- Surgeries or procedures
- Periods of prolonged immobilization
The chiropractor can then decide whether those events appear clinically relevant.
Patients should not assume an old injury must be causing a new symptom. The goal is simply to make sure the person evaluating the current problem has a complete history.
What Medical Information Should You Share?
An accurate health history matters before beginning any form of treatment.
Patients should disclose relevant medical conditions, medications, procedures, and other information requested by their healthcare provider. If a patient is unsure whether something matters, it is generally better to mention it and allow the provider to determine its relevance.
Shockwave therapy is non-surgical, but that does not mean it is automatically appropriate for every patient or every body area.
Should You Mention Treatments You Have Already Tried?
Yes.
Previous care can provide useful information about the history of the problem.
Patients should tell the chiropractor whether they have previously tried approaches such as activity modification, rehabilitation, exercises, other conservative care, or medical treatment.
It is also useful to explain what happened afterward.
For example:
- Did symptoms temporarily improve?
- Did they remain unchanged?
- Did the problem return once activity resumed?
- Did certain exercises make the area feel better or worse?
- Was another diagnosis previously discussed?
The goal is not to judge whether previous care was correct. It is to understand what has already occurred so that the next decision is based on more complete information.
Why Should You Explain Your Current Activity Level?
Treatment decisions should account for what a person actually does.
A recreational runner has different physical demands from someone whose symptoms primarily affect office work. A warehouse employee who repeatedly lifts and carries objects may have different functional goals from a person trying to return to weekend tennis.
Patients should describe their normal activity level before the problem started and how that activity has changed.
Consider explaining:
- How often you exercise
- What type of exercise you perform
- Whether training volume recently increased
- Whether your occupation is physically demanding
- Which activities you have stopped
- Which movements you are currently avoiding
- What you want to return to doing
That last point is particularly important.
A patient’s goal may be to walk comfortably through the workday, return to running, play a sport, perform job duties, or exercise without the same recurring limitation.
Understanding the goal gives the provider context when discussing treatment.
What Should You Tell a Chiropractor About Changes in Your Symptoms?
Changes matter, especially when they are significant or unexpected.
A problem that has behaved the same way for months presents differently from one that suddenly changes.
Patients should mention if symptoms have:
- Moved to another area
- Become more frequent
- Increased substantially
- Started occurring at rest
- Begun limiting normal movement
- Changed after a new injury
- Developed alongside new weakness, numbness, or other concerning symptoms
Some symptom changes may indicate that further evaluation is appropriate before routine musculoskeletal treatment is considered.
Patients should not minimize a new development simply because they already scheduled an appointment for shockwave therapy.
Should You Tell the Chiropractor Where You Think Treatment Should Be Applied?
Patients should absolutely explain where they feel symptoms, but they do not need to determine the treatment location themselves.
Shockwave therapy is typically directed toward a selected treatment area rather than simply applied everywhere a person feels uncomfortable.
That distinction is important because the most painful location does not always provide enough information to determine what tissue is involved.
During an evaluation, a provider can consider the symptom history, physical findings, movement, function, and suspected tissue before deciding whether shockwave therapy belongs in the care plan.
People comparing options at a Shockwave therapy clinic may therefore find it more useful to ask why a particular area is being treated than to arrive expecting treatment of a predetermined spot.
Do You Need to Know Whether You Want Focused or Radial Shockwave Therapy?
No.
Patients may encounter both terms while researching treatment, but choosing a device or technology does not need to be their responsibility.
Focused and radial shockwave approaches have different physical characteristics. Recent research comparing the two has not established that one is universally superior for pain and function across all musculoskeletal conditions.
That means the meaningful question is not simply, “Which one is better?”
A better question is: Why is this treatment approach being considered for my specific problem?
The chiropractor can then explain the reasoning based on the treatment target and clinical findings.
What Questions Should You Ask Before Treatment Starts?
Communication should work in both directions.
Patients should provide useful information, but they should also understand what is being recommended.
Consider asking:
What Problem Are You Trying to Address?
The explanation should be more specific than simply saying that an area hurts.
Why Is Shockwave Therapy Appropriate?
Patients should understand why this treatment is being considered rather than another approach.
What Area Will Be Treated?
Because shockwave treatment is targeted, patients should know what structure or region the provider intends to address.
How Will Progress Be Evaluated?
Improvement may involve more than a lower pain score. Depending on the condition, it may include changes in movement, activity tolerance, function, or symptom frequency.
Should I Change My Activities During Treatment?
Advice may differ depending on the problem. Patients should ask rather than assuming they need complete rest or should immediately return to full activity.
What Should You Bring to the First Conversation?
Patients do not necessarily need to prepare extensive documents, but a few notes can make the discussion easier.
Before the visit, consider writing down:
- When symptoms began
- Where they occur
- Which activities trigger them
- How long symptoms last
- Relevant previous injuries
- Previous care
- Current medications and health information
- Your normal activity level
- Your main functional goal
This can be particularly useful for a problem that has developed over several months, when remembering the exact timeline during an appointment may be difficult.
Some patients also find it helpful to think of a specific activity that demonstrates the problem.
For example, “I can walk normally, but discomfort begins after about 15 minutes of running” gives more functional context than simply saying, “My foot hurts sometimes.”
Do You Need to Diagnose Yourself Before Seeing a Chiropractor?
No.
Online research can help patients learn terminology and prepare questions, but it cannot replace an individualized evaluation.
A person who searches for symptoms may encounter several conditions that sound similar. Trying to decide which one is correct before the appointment can sometimes make communication less clear.
Instead of saying, “I definitely have this tendon condition,” it may be more helpful to describe:
“I feel discomfort in this location, it started three months ago, it becomes noticeable during this activity, and it improves when I stop.”
That gives the provider information that can actually be evaluated.
Why Does Honest Communication Matter During Shockwave Therapy Treatment?
Communication remains important after treatment starts.
Patients should continue telling their chiropractor how symptoms and function are changing.
This includes reporting whether:
- An activity becomes easier
- Symptoms occur less frequently
- A different movement begins causing discomfort
- The treatment area feels significantly different
- There is no meaningful change
- A new problem develops
Treatment should not simply be repeated without considering how the patient is responding.
Follow-up information helps the provider determine whether the plan remains appropriate.
The Best Preparation Is a Clear, Complete History
Patients do not need extensive knowledge of shockwave technology before meeting with a chiropractor. They do, however, benefit from being prepared to describe their symptoms, relevant medical history, previous injuries, treatments, activities, and goals accurately.
That information helps a provider determine whether shockwave therapy treatment is appropriate, which area may need attention, and whether another approach should be considered first.
About Leo Uemura Chiropractic
Leo Uemura Chiropractic provides chiropractic and shockwave therapy services at 21535 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 270, Torrance, CA 90503, with the Torrance office reachable at (424) 201-0036. Founder and Clinic Director Dr. Leo Uemura earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic and is listed by the practice as an A.R.T.®, NeuFit®, and Webster Certified Provider; patients planning a visit can Find their office on Google Maps.
