StemWave is a non-invasive acoustic wave therapy. A handheld applicator is placed against the skin and delivers focused acoustic pressure waves into the tissue underneath. Nothing is injected, nothing is cut, and there is no anesthetic and no downtime.
The device is used for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains and for improvements in local blood supply. Sessions are short — roughly five minutes per area treated — and most patients come in for a course of sessions rather than a single visit.
This is the first thing we tell every patient who asks about it, because the name reliably misleads people.
StemWave does not involve stem cells. Nothing is harvested, nothing is injected, and no cells of any kind are introduced into your body. The name refers to the manufacturer’s branding, not to the mechanism. What the device actually delivers is focused acoustic pressure waves through the skin.
We would rather you heard that from us than discovered it afterwards.
Most appointments are short, and several areas can be covered in one visit.
You can drive yourself home and carry on with your day straight afterwards.
Patients are usually seen for a series of sessions spread over several weeks.
We want to be precise here, because this is an area where marketing frequently outruns the evidence.
StemWave is an FDA-listed Class I device. It is not 510(k)-cleared for any named condition. The manufacturer’s own intended-use wording is that it is intended for temporary relief of minor aches and pains and improvements in local blood supply. That is the claim we make, and we do not make claims beyond it.
You will find figures quoted elsewhere online — success percentages, pain-reduction percentages, counts of treatment zones. Those come from vendor marketing material, we cannot source them, and so we do not publish them. If StemWave turns out not to help you, we will tell you and we will stop, rather than selling you another block of sessions.
If your pain has not been assessed by a clinician, start there rather than here. Pain is a symptom, and the useful first question is what is causing it.
Before any course begins, a clinician will assess the area, take your history and tell you whether this is a reasonable thing to try in your case. Some people are better served by something else entirely, and we will say so.
StemWave is one option among several here. It is not a replacement for a diagnosis, for physical therapy, or for treating the underlying problem.
A clinician decides whether it is reasonable to try.
No open-ended courses of sessions that go nowhere.
No. Nothing is injected and no cells are introduced. The device delivers focused acoustic pressure waves through the skin. The name is branding, not mechanism.
StemWave is an FDA-listed Class I device. It is not 510(k)-cleared for any named condition. Its intended use, in the manufacturer’s own wording, is temporary relief of minor aches and pains and improvements in local blood supply.
Most patients describe it as a tapping or pulsing sensation rather than pain. The intensity can be adjusted, so tell the clinician if it is uncomfortable.
It varies by person and by area. We will give you an expected number at the start and review it as you go, rather than committing you to an open-ended course.
No. You can drive yourself home and return to normal activity immediately.
It is not suitable over certain areas, or for some patients, including during pregnancy or where there are clotting problems, active infection or certain implants. The assessment beforehand exists to catch that.
Call the clinic and we will give you a straight assessment of whether it is likely to help you.