ESWT, or shockwave therapy, is the medical use of waves obtained from an energy source. In urology this treatment is normally used mostly for erectile dysfunction, but it can also be used to reduce pain in the treatment of chronic prostatitis. In my clinical experience, the perception that shockwave therapy alone will solve chronic prostatitis 100% is wrong.
In chronic prostatitis, the swelling inside the prostate causes muscle spasm in the surrounding tissues, and the tissues do not receive sufficient blood flow. As a result the patient is troubled by pain.
With shockwave therapy, shockwaves are applied to the patient from below the testicles, in the area called the perineum. Thanks to these shockwaves the overly contracted muscles around the prostate relax. And because the waves also reach the prostate tissue, the prostate begins to soften.
At the Androfert Clinic we apply shockwave therapy to the patient before prostate massage. In this way the prostate softens and the inflammation accumulated inside it flows out more easily with massage.
In other words, ESWT is not the main treatment but a supportive one. The European Association of Urology guidelines also state that ESWT can be used to reduce pain.
In chronic prostatitis patients, as many shockwave sessions should be performed as the planned massage sessions. In this way patients can recover faster.
