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Shockwave therapy for ED?
Hi,
Would anyone have any experience with Penile Shockwave Therapy, or Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (LI-ESWT) for treating ED after RALP?
I read that this is a recommended therapy but with mixed results as for post-RALP cases there are mentions of this not being appropriate when nerve damage has occurred. Still, some arguments support that it is appropriate.
I would be interested to know if anyone here has had any experience with this or knows about its effectiveness in post-RALP cases.
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Interesting idea.
Kinda like shocking Frankenstein's monster to life.
Dunno if it works. "Treatment outcomes are exempt from being advertised."
OK.........
6 sessions at 200 bucks a session.
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1 ReactionThere’s a 2023 presentation out of Stanford University that’s titled “Penile Rehab: Optimizing Recovery of Erectile Function after Prostate Cancer Treatment.”
They first talk about how things are supposed to work “down there,” what goes wrong as a result of treatments, and then a variety of remedies.
The section on Shockwave therapy starts around timestamp 16:20.
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1 Reaction@peterj116
Yes, I agree. Kind of pricey for something that is just to "see what happens" without any documented results data to back it up.
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1 Reaction@brianjarvis
Thanks for the reference to this presentation. It is interesting that the end take on this treatment is that it is not really recommended, as there is no supporting evidence of its effectiveness.
@animate If I recall from the presentation, he mentioned lack of evidence with low intensity shockwave therapy; but, he mentioned in passing that they do use focused shockwave therapy because it “penetrates deeper.” The “focused” version might be worth looking into.
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1 Reaction@brianjarvis
Thank you. This is a good point. However, researching specifically "focused shockwave therapy" I could still not find any published evidence of its effectiveness for treating post-RALP ED.
@animate This one of those times when you’ll have to take a really deep dive into the literature.
There are different types of shockwave therapies - low-intensity, focused, extracorporeal, and radial. They use different mechanisms, energy levels, and depths, making them suitable for different conditions. Sometimes the terms aren’t used consistently.
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1 ReactionOriginal question still not answered! Has anyone on the forum tried shockwave treatment, and with what results?
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1 ReactionAfter SBRT and ADT my libido is zilch and erectile function moderately compromised.
I was recently evaluated at UCLA Men’s Health Center and LiSWT was suggested as potentially beneficial theoretically due to stimulation of increased blood vessel supply to the erectile tissues of the penis. The lack of double blind controlled studies was emphasized, though the literature “suggests” better outcomes with mild-moderate ED with LiSWT compared to a sham procedure.
At my initial visit (last week) tadalafil was increased from 5 mg to 10 mg daily. I do think my erections are slightly improved (I was able to masturbate to an orgasm [dry of course] recently.)
I am still thinking about LiSWT so I know this doesn’t directly answer your question, but UCLA is an academic institution of distinction which lends some credibility to the recommendation.
I understand that protocols and equipment vary widely as current standards are still being defined and evaluated.
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1 Reaction@peterj116 I was offered it at twice that price, $2,400 for the whole treatment.