How Advanced Recovery Techniques like Shockwave Therapy, Dry Needling, and Red Light Therapy Can Speed Up Your Injury Recovery

Colin O'Banion, DPT
Nov 14, 2024
4 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

If you’re struggling with persistent pain or a stubborn injury, you may feel like you’ve tried every option for relief, only to find yourself back at square one. What if your physical therapist also drew from advanced recovery techniques to compliment hands on therapy and therapeutic exercise to not only relieve your pain, but also target the root issues that hold back your healing?

At Colin O'Banion Physical Therapy in Boulder, CO, I specialize in using a variety of advanced recovery techniques designed to go beyond standard physical therapy, delivering deep, lasting relief.

3 of my personal favorites are shockwave therapy, dry needling and red light therapy.

Here’s how shockwave therapy, dry needling, and red light therapy can transform your recovery and help you return to the active, pain-free life you want.

Shockwave Therapy: Targeting Pain at Its Core

When you’re dealing with chronic pain or a recurring injury, lingering soft tissue issues and inflammation often prevent healing. Shockwave therapy is one of the advanced recovery techniques that works by delivering powerful sound waves directly into the affect

How It Works for You: Shockwave therapy breaks down scar tissue and stimulates blood flow, which means quicker healing and less pain over time. If you’ve been dealing with issues like tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, or even persistent back pain, shockwave therapy could be a game-changer in helping you move beyond the cycle of pain and temporary relief.
What to Expect: During a session, I’ll apply a handheld device over the targeted area, sending short, intense bursts of energy into the tissue. Most clients feel a reduction in pain even after the first few sessions, with continued improvement as treatment progresses.

Dry Needling: Relieving Deep Muscular Tension and Trigger Points

If you’re dealing with muscle tightness, spasms, or “knots” that don’t respond to other treatments, dry needling might provide the release you need. As one of our advanced recovery techniques, dry needling targets the most stubborn trigger points within your muscles, releasing tension from deep within.

How It Works for You: By inserting a thin needle directly into the knotted muscle, dry needling causes the muscle to twitch and then relax, allowing increased blood flow and releasing built-up tension. This technique is highly effective for treating conditions like neck pain, sciatica, and sports-related injuries, where deep muscular tension is often a hidden culprit.
What to Expect: You might feel a brief muscle twitch or mild discomfort, but relief often follows quickly. Dry needling offers access to tight spots that other methods can’t reach, making it a powerful option among our advanced recovery techniques.

Red Light Therapy: Accelerating Healing from the Inside Out

For those wanting to maximize their body’s natural healing potential, red light therapy is an innovative advanced recovery technique that promotes healing at the cellular level. By using specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light, this therapy enhances your body’s repair processes from within.

How It Works for You: Red light therapy improves cellular energy production, boosts collagen production, and reduces inflammation. Whether you’re dealing with an acute injury or long-term pain, it can be a powerful tool to help you recover faster. Red light therapy is especially beneficial for soft tissue injuries, joint pain, and even skin health.
What to Expect: This treatment is entirely non-invasive, painless, and requires no downtime. You’ll simply relax under the light, allowing it to penetrate deep into the tissue. Most clients report feeling an improvement in pain, flexibility, and overall well-being with regular sessions.

Why These Techniques Work So Well Together

I love modality stacking, where applicable. Each of these therapies has its own unique strengths, but when combined in a treatment or series of treatments, they create a comprehensive approach to healing. While shockwave therapy breaks down scar tissue and stimulates blood flow, dry needling addresses muscular tension at the source, and red light therapy accelerates the entire healing process. Together, they provide a holistic solution that addresses not only your symptoms but also the root causes of your pain.

Ready to Finally Move Beyond Pain?

At Colin O'Banion Physical Therapy in Boulder, CO, I understand that you want more than temporary relief—you want results that last. By leveraging a variety of recovery techniques and tools, I’m here to help you achieve the lasting change you’re looking for. Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, a long-term injury, or simply want to recover faster, these techniques could be the solution you’ve been searching for.

Take the Next Step Toward Lasting Relief

If you’re ready to experience the power of advanced recovery techniques like shockwave therapy, dry needling, and red light therapy, book a free phone consultation with me, or if you're ready, schedule an appointment. Together, we’ll design a plan that gets to the core of your pain, so you can get back to the life you love—without the limitations of chronic discomfort.