The Wave: Clinical Insight
- Vol. 1 - Treating Complex Pain with PiezoWave2
- Vol. 2 - From Common Injuries to Treating Pro Athletes
The Wave: Clinical Insights - Volume 1
Treating Complex Pain with PiezoWave2 with Dr. Grove Higgins, DC
Grove Higgins, DC, is owner and head provider of Neuroathlete in Colorado Springs, CO, which he founded in 2012. Dr. Higgins has a rich background in anatomy with expertise in neurological-based training. At his clinic, Dr. Higgins often sees patients with longstanding and complex pain.
Through combining his expertise with multiple modalities, including PiezoWave2, he says the best part of his job is “giving people hope for recovery after being hopeless for so long.”
PiezoWave2 Evaluation at Neuroathlete
After completing a month-long evaluation using PiezoWave2 in his practice, Dr. Higgins quickly saw the value in the technology, both in terms of patient outcomes and revenue. “The evaluation was critical to us being able to quickly pickup on how we could use the technology effectively in the practice and for our patients,” shared Dr. Higgins.
During the evaluation, Dr. Higgins and his team contacted patients with lingering issues that were challenging cases. They asked these patients if they would be willing to try a series of PiezoWave2 sessions – most said, “yes.”
“We did about 150 treatments – 2-3 sessions per patient – over the month of our evaluation,” said Dr. Higgins.
“During four short weeks, we got a huge amount of experience and saw great results. Some individuals got instantaneous results and others took multiple sessions.”
Following the evaluation and the positive outcomes, Dr. Higgins had no hesitation purchasing PiezoWave2 and integrating it into his practice as a modality used both as a standalone treatment and in combination with other modalities.
“The most important aspect we discovered with PiezoWave2 is its ability to be both a diagnostic and treatment tool,” stated Dr. Higgins.
“From a diagnostic standpoint, we were able to find out issues associated with the primary issues. Often by treating the secondary, or silent issue; we were then able to resolve the primary issue.”
With his background in anatomy and neurology, Dr. Higgins said that using PiezoWave2 to search the “body’s wiring and find things” made 100% anatomical sense with regard to nerve pathways.
“What we really like about PiezoWave2 is that is allows the patient to become much more active in their treatment,” said Dr. Higgins. “The injury flaring capabilities of the PiezoWave2 and the process of using patient feedback to guide where to treat has gotten my patients much more active in the treatment process.”
For the patient, it allows them to connect with their body and what’s going on in a very tangible way. Patients become much more compliant with their entire treatment plan.”
Because they used PiezoWave2 so extensively during their trial, Dr. Higgins said they quickly and effectively were able to integrate it into the practice and see patient value in outcomes and return on investment.
PiezoWave2 Case Studies: Accelerating Recovery
Following are two case studies from Dr. Higgins practice using PiezoWave2:
Toe Arthritis:
Runner with chronically arthritic toe joint arthritis on the path to fusion surgery. Dr. Higgins treated the pain from the injury with PiezoWave2. Within one session, the runner had significant relief. After three sessions, the patient was back to running completely pain-free and has not needed treatment since. For now, although the arthritis is still present, surgery is off the table as function has been restored and pain removed.
Plantar Fasciitis:
Tennis player in late 60s who played tennis five days a week and said it was what kept him healthy both physically and mentally. Due to painful plantar fasciitis, he had to cut back to two days of tennis, which was very upsetting to him. After a single PiezoWave2 session, he played three sets the next day – something he’d not been able to do for a long time. After three treatments, the pain was completely gone.
Facial Pain:
Additionally, Dr. Higgins is partnering with dentists and orthodontists who refer their TMJ and facial pain clients to him. “Facial pain is phenomenally hard to treat,” stated Dr. Higgins. “After working with an LA-based dentist and learning his protocols for facial pain using PiezoWave2, we’ve had great outcomes getting relief for patients dealing with this condition.”
Dr. Higgins shared that PiezoWave2 is effective with most all soft tissue injury; helping to diagnose, break and treat chronic pain cycles.
The PiezoWave2 Business Benefit
In Dr. Higgins practice, he is using PiezoWave2 as both a standalone therapy and as part of a treatment session that includes chiropractic treatment and/or other modalities.
“PiezoWave2 allows me to diagnose pain at its source and treat it effectively,” said Dr. Higgins. “It speeds up recovery and allows me to also free up my time.”
Dr. Higgins does the PiezoWave2 treatments as part of a more comprehensive patient session as well as a standalone therapy. He has easily been able to sell PiezoWave2 packages – 10 sessions for $650 – and has other members of his team do those sessions, which frees up his time. An average PiezoWave2 session is 15-minutes.
“We actually asked our patients during our initial product evaluation what they would be willing to pay for PiezoWave2 treatments, and they helped us set our pricing.”
Here are Dr. Higgins top reasons for adding PiezoWave2 to his practice:
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- Better patient outcomes.
- Helps to treat and resolve complex cases.
- Situations resolve much more quickly.
- Helps break pain cycles.
- Both diagnoses the source of pain and treats it.
- Uncovers secondary underlying areas affecting primary pain.
- Keeps patients more engaged in their treatment; and therefore, compliant with at-home program.
- Motivates patients to change their behaviors by being active participants in their treatment process.
- Increases patient volume.
- Provides cash revenue stream for the practice.
- Frees up time, with the simple-to-use
PiezoWave2 treatment being conducted by clinical support team.
Dr. Higgins shared that PiezoWave2 is effective with most all soft tissue injury; helping to diagnose, break and treat chronic pain cycles.
The opinions expressed in this review are the clinicians own views, and are based on his personal experience after purchasing and using the PiezoWave2. Dr. Higgins has no affiliation with the manufacturer/distributor. The information provided here is not intended as a substitute for the PiezoWave2 User Manual. The Richard Wolf PiezoWave2 should only be used by experienced physicians trained in the MyACT application. Nationally applicable guidelines and product approvals must be complied with.
The Wave: Clinical Insights - Volume 2
From Common Injuries to Treating Pro Athletes, PiezoWave2 Finds a Home with Alan Testa, DC at Sports Chiro and Rehab
Alan Testa, DC owns Sports Chiro and Rehab in Davey, Florida. After being introduced to PiezoWave2 and conducting an evaluation with it among his patients, he quickly decided to acquire the technology and uses it daily in his practice.
“PiezoWave2 offers a lot of upside with very little downside (i.e., few contraindications or risks),” said Testa. “This is one of the main reasons I decided to add it to my practice, along with strong patient outcomes.”
PiezoWave2 in Practice
In Dr. Testa’s practice, he is using PiezoWave2 as both a standalone treatment and in combination with other modalities. Currently about 30 percent of Dr. Testa’s patients are receiving PiezoWave2 as part of their treatment program.
“It depends on the patient and the severity of their situation – each patient is different,” shared Testa. “We have patients
who just come in for treatment with PiezoWave2 and have seen great results.”
Dr. Testa said he finds PiezoWave2 works well for a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions including the pain resulting from tendinopathies:
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- Plantar fasciitis
- Shin splints
- Hand and wrist injuries
- Tennis elbow
- Patellar tendonitis
“Improved patient outcomes are the top benefit of using PiezoWave2 in my practice,” shared Testa. “I also get lots of referral traffic based on the results patients are having – they are telling their friends and families.”
Dr. Testa shares a story of three women who came in separately, but around the same timeframe, for treatment with PiezoWave2 for plantar fasciitis. After just two to three visits, they were all walking without pain – a significant improvement.
Another great success story comes from a 15-year-old high school basketball player, who is being recruited by several colleges. She had shin splints that were hindering her play and after just one treatment, she had almost no pain.
“Most patients require a series of treatments – five for acute and approximately ten for chronic conditions,” Testa said. “We sell treatments in packages of five and ten, which work well for most situations.”
“Our patients have gotten excited about PiezoWave2,” Testa shared. “They start to really understand how it works and that it will benefit them and help control pain. I actually have some patients that go home and research the technology and share things that they learn about it with me!”
Treating Athletes with PiezoWave2
Dr. Testa works with a lot of athletes in his practice, including several professional football, baseball, hockey and basketball players.
“Our athletes respond really well to PiezoWave2, generally,” said Testa. “Many come in just for PiezoWave2 treatment and often have a good response after just one treatment. Then I might see them again for a follow-up treatment a couple months later. It’s very helpful in rehab and getting back to play for athletes.”
He added that having a cutting-edge technology like PiezoWave2 is important with the athletic clientele he serves. “Our athletes expect us to be offering the newest and most effective technologies,” said Testa.
Beyond Treatment: Diagnosing the Source of Pain
“We treat a lot of soft tissue injuries in our clinic and often we can palpate injuries by hand. However, if we miss it, PiezoWave2 is good at helping to diagnose where the source of the pain is,” shared Testa. “That’s a really nice thing about the technology that it’s valuable for both diagnostic and treatment.”
Beyond the Technology: Why PiezoWave2
Beyond knowing that he wanted to add focused sound technology to his practice as a form of regenerative medicine (stimulating the body’s own healing capacity), Dr. Testa shared that the ELvation team’s product knowledge is fantastic.
“Marco [ELvation’s southeast sales director] is very knowledgeable about PiezoWave2 – he’s not your typical sales person,” stated Testa. “He has a lot of information that he shared with me during the sales process and continues to provide me with updates on the product as a customer.”
Dr. Testa added that his decision to purchase PiezoWave2 over other technologies was a combination of:
- The high quality of the technology itself
- PiezoWave2 being a focused sound technology rather than radial pressure wave technology
- The depth of knowledge and support from the ELvation team
“It’s both the technology and the people behind it,” Testa added.
The opinions expressed in this review are the clinicians own views, and are based on his personal experience after purchasing and using the PiezoWave2. Dr. Higgins has no affiliation with the manufacturer/distributor. The information provided here is not intended as a substitute for the PiezoWave2 User Manual. The Richard Wolf PiezoWave2 should only be used by experienced physicians trained in the MyACT application. Nationally applicable guidelines and product approvals must be complied with.