SoftWave® Shockwave Therapy in Dunwoody, GA
Stop Letting the Same Pain Keep Running Your Life.
Explore non-invasive SoftWave® shockwave therapy for stubborn pain, tendon problems and recurring musculoskeletal injuries — available locally at Compass Family Chiropractic in Dunwoody.
An evaluation determines whether SoftWave is appropriate for your condition.
The pattern
How Much Has This One Problem Started Changing?
You sleep differently because of your shoulder.
You skip the morning walk because of your heel.
You avoid stairs because of your knee.
You haven't swung a golf club in months.
You stopped doing certain lifts.
You brace before getting out of the car.
You keep stretching the same spot.
You keep buying different shoes.
You keep resting it — and it keeps coming back.
Pain becomes important because of what it starts taking away.
If the same musculoskeletal problem keeps returning, an evaluation may help determine what you're actually dealing with — and whether SoftWave belongs in the conversation.
Find Your ProblemBody area guide
Where Does It Hurt?
Every area below leads to a real page with condition-specific information — not a form.
Wrist + Hand
Wrist pain, hand pain, carpal tunnel symptoms
Sports / Activity
Running, golf, pickleball and overuse problems
Direct answer
What Is SoftWave Therapy?
SoftWave is a brand of extracorporeal shockwave therapy — a non-invasive treatment that delivers acoustic energy from outside the body into targeted tissue. It is used in musculoskeletal care for certain chronic tendon and soft-tissue conditions. Shockwave technologies differ from one another, and an evaluation determines whether any of them suits your problem.
What are acoustic shockwaves?
Acoustic shockwaves are rapid pressure waves generated by a device and transmitted through the skin into tissue with gel. Nothing is injected and nothing is implanted.
Is SoftWave the same as shockwave therapy?
SoftWave sits inside the shockwave category. Saying "shockwave therapy" is like saying "MRI" — the category tells you the type of technology, not which specific device or protocol is being used.
What happens during treatment?
Gel is applied and an applicator is moved over the treatment area while acoustic pulses are delivered. The treatment portion is generally short. Your provider will explain what to expect for your specific area.
What does it feel like?
Common descriptions include tapping, pulsing and pressure. Sensitive tissue can feel temporarily tender. Experience varies between people and between body areas — we will not tell you it is painless for everyone.
Why does diagnosis matter so much?
Because not every painful heel is plantar fasciitis and not every sore shoulder is a rotator cuff problem. Shockwave has been researched for particular conditions, so the value of an evaluation is knowing which problem you actually have.
Reviewed by: Clinical team, Compass Family Chiropractic · Last reviewed: September 2026
General patient education only. Not medical advice and not a diagnosis. See our editorial policy and medical disclaimer.
Terminology
SoftWave? Shockwave? ESWT? What's the Difference?
Shockwave therapy and ESWT are umbrella terms. Devices inside that umbrella differ in how energy is produced and distributed.
| Attribute | SoftWave / broad-focused | Focused ESWT | Radial pressure wave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy type | True acoustic shockwave, spread across a broader area | True acoustic shockwave, concentrated at a focal point | Pressure wave generated at the applicator surface |
| How energy is generated | Electrohydraulic generation with a reflector | Electrohydraulic, electromagnetic or piezoelectric | Pneumatic — a projectile strikes an applicator |
| Terminology | Marketed as broad-focused shockwave | Commonly called focused shockwave or ESWT | Often marketed as 'shockwave' though physically a pressure wave |
| Energy distribution | Wider treatment zone | Narrow, targeted zone | Highest energy near the surface, dispersing with depth |
| Common uses | Chronic musculoskeletal and tendon conditions | Chronic tendinopathies, calcific tendinitis, plantar fasciopathy | Superficial soft-tissue conditions and trigger points |
| Treatment experience | Tapping or pulsing sensation; varies by area | Can be more intense at the focal point | Often described as a rapid percussive sensation |
No device is universally superior. The right question is which technology, if any, suits the condition you actually have. Read the full comparison.
The recurring loop
It Got Better. Then You Started Living Again.
You rested it. It calmed down.
You started exercising again. Or walking more. Or golfing.
Or travelling. Or simply having a busy week.
And there it was again.
Persistent or recurrent musculoskeletal symptoms can involve:
- repeated loading that exceeds what the tissue currently tolerates
- tendon problems that need months of progressive loading, not rest
- muscle or connective-tissue irritation
- biomechanics and movement habits
- rehabilitation that stopped when the pain stopped
- doing too much too quickly on return
- an incorrect assumption about which structure is causing the symptoms
- underlying joint or nerve problems
Before buying another brace, taking another break or choosing another treatment, start by determining what you're actually dealing with. SoftWave may be one part of an appropriate plan.
Schedule an EvaluationActive life
Treatment Isn't the Goal. Getting Back to Your Life Is.
Working out
Pickleball
Desk work
Parenting
Our position
Don't Start With the Machine. Start With the Problem.
Someone may call their heel pain plantar fasciitis. Their shoulder pain a rotator cuff problem. Their hand tingling carpal tunnel. Their knee pain arthritis. Their elbow pain tennis elbow.
Symptoms alone do not establish a diagnosis.
So the goal is not to sell everyone a SoftWave package. The goal is to answer four questions honestly.
What appears to be causing the problem?
Is SoftWave appropriate for it?
Does another conservative approach make more sense?
Is further imaging, evaluation or referral appropriate?
Your first visit
What Happens When You Come In?
Step 1
Your story
Where it hurts, how long, what makes it better or worse, what you've tried, what it has stopped you doing, and what you want to get back to.
Step 2
Evaluation
An examination to better understand the likely tissue or condition involved and whether further testing or referral is appropriate.
Step 3
SoftWave, if appropriate
If SoftWave is considered appropriate, acoustic shockwaves are delivered to the selected treatment area.
Step 4
Your plan
Recommendations depend on the diagnosis, findings, health history, goals, response to care and your individual circumstances.
We do not publish a fixed number of sessions or a standard treatment schedule. Any plan is determined by Compass Family Chiropractic after evaluating you.
Real outcomes
Less Hype. Show Me What Happened.
This site is built to publish verified outcome data — condition, baseline measure, post-treatment measure, change, timeframe and treatment received. We have not published outcome numbers yet, because we will not invent them.
How outcomes reporting works hereEvidence
What Does the Research Say?
Our research library summarizes peer-reviewed studies on shockwave therapy in plain English — including the trials that found little benefit. Evidence differs by condition, and pretending otherwise would not help you decide.
Browse the research libraryThe provider
SoftWave Therapy at Compass Family Chiropractic
Dunwoody Shockwave is the education and treatment-discovery resource. Compass Family Chiropractic is the healthcare provider that performs the evaluation and any treatment.
Where treatment happens
SoftWave Therapy Right Here in Dunwoody
SoftWave therapy is provided by Compass Family Chiropractic at their Dunwoody office — not a partner clinic in another city. If you live or work near Dunwoody, Perimeter Center, Brookhaven or Chamblee, treatment happens here.
Compass Family Chiropractic1745 Old Spring House Ln., Ste. 410
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Call or text: (770) 452-0022
Common questions about SoftWave in Dunwoody
See If SoftWave Is Worth Exploring
An evaluation is how you find out what you're actually dealing with — and whether SoftWave belongs in the plan.