What if the “shockwave therapy” people hear about is not always true shockwave — and the type of device being used may completely change the result?

In this episode of Centered Presents: The Future of Health, Dr. Molly Brown sits down with Ken Lippe, founder of Acoustek and U.S. distributor of the SanuWave Profile, to discuss electrohydraulic shockwave therapy, pain relief, inflammation, tissue repair, chronic wounds, sports injuries, and why different shockwave technologies can produce very different outcomes.

Ken explains the confusion in the shockwave market, including why many devices advertised as “shockwave” are actually radial pulse wave devices. He breaks down the difference between radial pulse, focused shockwave, electrohydraulic shockwave, electromagnetic shockwave, and piezoelectric shockwave — and why those distinctions matter clinically.

The conversation explores how electrohydraulic shockwave works, including the plasma-bubble mechanism, true shockwave generation, broad or unfocused treatment fields, and how larger treatment areas may support faster healing with fewer sessions. Ken also explains mechanotransduction, rapid anti-inflammatory effects, TLR3 modulation, microvesicle release, vascularization, and the body’s own healing cascade.

Dr. Brown and Ken also discuss how shockwave therapy may support pain relief, tissue repair, blood flow, fracture recovery, post-surgical healing, chronic inflammation, diabetic wounds, arthritis-related pain, and infection-related wound challenges. Ken shares why device-specific published research matters, including FDA De Novo clearance connected to the Dermapace platform for chronic wounds and diabetic foot ulcers.

They also cover how patients and providers can better evaluate shockwave claims, what to ask before treatment, safety considerations, contraindications, and why results can vary depending on the device, protocol, condition, and stage of degeneration.

Ken shares several clinical and personal recovery stories, including rapid improvement after frozen shoulder, broken toe recovery, teen athlete cases, professional sports applications, wound closure examples, and the challenges of gathering follow-up imaging once symptoms resolve.

This episode is especially relevant for anyone interested in shockwave therapy, chronic pain, injury recovery, inflammation, regenerative medicine, sports medicine, post-surgical healing, arthritis pain, diabetic wound care, and how to tell the difference between true shockwave and radial pulse therapy.

Learn more about Acoustek, SanuWave Profile, research, and provider locations at acoustekllc.com.

00:00 Show Intro

00:23 Meet Ken Lippi

01:07 Shockwave Market Myths

02:25 Radial Pulse Explained

06:04 Three True Shockwaves

06:22 Electrohydraulic Deep Dive

10:30 EM and Piezo Compared

13:24 Broad Focus Breakthrough

15:24 Mechanotransduction Basics

18:05 Bigger Treatment Zone

22:50 Evidence and FDA Data

26:45 How to Vet Providers

27:44 Infection and Bacteria

30:19 Protocols and Use Cases

31:20 Ken’s Recovery Stories

35:28 Fast Healing Stories

35:51 Teen Athlete Shockwave Win

37:29 Baseball Team Breakthrough

40:52 Cancer Wound Closure Case

42:33 Follow Up Data Challenge

43:40 Reattachment And Limb Saves

45:12 Safety And Contraindications

46:12 Research And Arthritis Results

51:55 Find Providers And Resources

54:43 Closing Thanks And Outro

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Learn more: www.DrMollyBrown.com

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