Shockwave Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction in 2022
Did you know nearly 80 percent of Erectile Dysfunction cases are caused by poor blood flow due to the unhealthy narrowing of blood vessels and micro-plaque buildup?
For men with moderate erectile dysfunction (ED), low-intensity shockwave therapy leads to significant improvement in sexual function. In fact, a study published in the journal of Therapeutic Advances in Urology determined that low intensity shock-wave treatment, also known as LiST, is a groundbreaking treatment of ED and possibly holds unprecedented qualities that can rehabilitate erectile tissue.
Shockwaves breakthrough any micro-plaque and stimulate the body to grow new blood vessels into the penis. The outcome is the ability to achieve and maintain firm and rigid erections naturally. This promising therapy at RMBI has emerged as the go-to, non-surgical, non-drug treatment for ED.
What is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave Therapy is a non-invasive therapy that’s been used in orthopedics for years. Using targeted high-energy sound waves, this promising treatment can speed up tissue repair and cell growth.
Erections rely on healthy blood flow to the penile tissue. Shockwave therapy is viewed constructively as a way of repairing and strengthening blood vessels in the penis — and furthermore improving blood flow. Increasing blood flow to the penis is the same objective as more traditional ED treatments, such as oral medications, including Viagra and Cialis.
Shockwave therapy is administered with a wand-like device placed near different areas of the penis. The device triggers parts of the penis for about 15 minutes while it emits gentle pulses. The pulses produce improved blood flow and tissue remodeling in the penis. These changes can lead to erections sufficient for sex.
New ED Study Shows Promising Results
A new study examined 70 men with blood flow-related (vasculogenic) ED. Each patient had moderate ED, based on a standard questionnaire, the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). All men had at least a partial response to ED medications (phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors), which they stopped taking 1 month before and during the study.
One group of patients was assigned to active treatment with LiST, 12 sessions delivered twice weekly over 6 weeks. The other group received an inactive, sham treatment. Response to LiST was assessed after 1 and 3 months, based on the erectile function score on the IIEF.
Men receiving LiST had significant improvement in erectile function score, increasing from 14 points before treatment, to 19 points at 1 month, to 20 points at 3 months. By contrast, men assigned to sham LiST had little or no improvement.
By 3 months, 79 percent of men in the active LiST group had at least a 5-point improvement in erectile function score and reported that they were able to successfully perform sexual intercourse. For both this and for the increase in erectile function score, the improvement remained significant after adjustment for initial responses.