Shockwave therapy — the honest version

Shockwave therapy applies acoustic pressure waves to penile tissue from outside the body — no needles, no anesthesia. Orlando Sexual Medicine uses a radial pressure-wave system, the same category of technology used across U.S. medical and sports-medicine practices for soft-tissue treatment.

Its use for ED is off-label, physician-directed medicine — true of every acoustic-wave device on the market, whatever the brand — and candidacy here is decided by evaluation, not by advertising. The full regulatory record is at the bottom of this page, in plain words.

• 12 sessions, usually about twice a week, delivered consecutively where scheduling allows. This is our practice’s schedule — published protocols vary, and 12 sessions is not a universal standard.
• A low-dose daily medication is typically included during the course as part of the course. Because that medication is independently active, improvement during a course cannot be attributed to the device alone — we say that plainly.
• Patients are advised to avoid anti-inflammatories (such as ibuprofen) during the course; you’ll get the full instruction sheet at your first session.
• Candidacy is determined at consultation — certain conditions rule treatment out, and we screen for them before anything is scheduled.

Does shockwave therapy hurt?

Sessions are brief and done in the office without anesthesia; what to expect physically is explained before your first session.

Why won’t you quote a success rate?

Because honest numbers for our specific device and patients don’t exist in the published research. We’d rather measure your baseline, treat, and judge by your own results than borrow a figure from someone else’s device.

Is it covered by insurance?

Not currently — insurers don’t cover shockwave therapy for ED, so it’s paid out of pocket. That isn’t the practice declining insurance: the office does participate with Medicare and bills most commercial plans for the evaluation itself. Costs for the course are explained clearly at consultation, before you commit to anything. What we bill and what we don’t →

Shockwave is one option among several — it is never the only door. The diagnostic evaluation comes first; treatment recommendations follow from it, and alternatives such as injection therapy are always on the table.

This device is not FDA-approved and not FDA-cleared to treat erectile dysfunction or Peyronie’s disease — and no shockwave or acoustic-wave device from any manufacturer has FDA approval or clearance for these conditions, whatever brand name appears in the ad. Use for these conditions is off-label, prescribed at the physician’s discretion after evaluation. Research is ongoing, and individual results vary.