Short answer: there isn't a competition here. SoftWave is a brand of shockwave therapy device. Comparing SoftWave to shockwave therapy is like comparing a specific model of car to the category "cars."
That confusion is understandable. SoftWave markets itself hard under its own name, so patients end up searching for it as though it were a separate treatment. It isn't. When you receive SoftWave treatment, you are receiving shockwave therapy.
What shockwave therapy means
Shockwave therapy — clinically, extracorporeal shock wave therapy or ESWT — uses acoustic pressure waves delivered through the skin to stimulate the body's repair response in injured soft tissue. No incision, no anesthesia, no downtime. It's used mainly for chronic tendon and fascia problems that have stopped improving on their own.
Where SoftWave sits inside that category
Shockwave devices fall into three broad groups: radial, focused, and broad-focused. SoftWave is a broad-focused system. It produces true acoustic shock waves and spreads them across a wider treatment field rather than converging them on a single pinpoint focal point.
So what actually differs between devices?
- How the wave is generated — a mechanical projectile in radial units versus a true acoustic shock wave in focused and broad-focused units.
- How wide the treated area is in a single pass.
- How deep the energy reaches.
- How the treatment feels: rapid tapping versus firm regional pulsing versus a concentrated point.
What that means for you as a patient
Practically, the brand name matters far less than whether shockwave therapy is the right tool for your diagnosis at all. A device is only as good as the exam that led to it. At our clinics we examine the area first, screen for the conditions that rule shockwave out, and only then recommend a series — with the number of sessions and the cost stated up front.
If you want the fuller picture, our shockwave therapy overview covers the technology types, the conditions we evaluate, and the twelve questions patients ask most.