by steve January 14, 2024

Is Softwave Therapy Covered By Medical Insurance Policies?

Have you been dealing with chronic joint pain or an injury that just won’t seem to heal? You may have heard about a new treatment called Softwave therapy and wondered – is Softwave therapy covered by medical insurance policies?

This innovative type of acoustic wave therapy uses gentle soundwaves to stimulate healing at the cellular level. It’s a totally non-invasive treatment that can bring dramatic pain relief and accelerate healing for all kinds of musculoskeletal conditions.

In this detailed guide, we’ll give you the inside scoop on everything you need to know about Softwave therapy coverage. We’ll go over the cost, compare it to other treatments like surgery and cortisone injections, breakdown what conditions it can treat, and spill the tea on whether those pesky insurance companies are covering it.

Grab your favorite comfy sweater, pour yourself some tea, and let’s get the down low on Softwave therapy insurance coverage!

What Exactly is Softwave Therapy?

Before we get into whether Softwave therapy is paid for by insurance, let’s go over the basics of what this treatment actually is. Think of Softwave therapy like a high-tech deep tissue massage that goes all the way down to heal your cells!

This cutting-edge acoustic wave technology sends powerful soundwaves deep into damaged tissues and joints. These waves gently stimulate healing by increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation, and activating your body’s own stem cells to repair damage. It’s was originally used to help heal difficult bone fractures, and is now used to treat all types of orthopedic injuries and chronic conditions.

Some of the benefits of Softwave therapy include:

Accelerated healing of damaged tissues like tendons, ligaments, cartilage
Reduction of chronic inflammation in arthritic joints
Increased blood flow to promote healing
Pain relief
Avoidance of surgery in some cases
Overall better function and mobility

This non-invasive treatment uses a handheld device that’s slowly moved over the affected area, delivering acoustic waves that penetrate several inches below the skin – no needles or anesthesia required!

Treatment sessions take about 15 minutes and most people start feeling results within 3 to 6 sessions. It’s covered by FDA clearance and is extremely safe with virtually no side effects.

So who can benefit from Softwave therapy? This treatment can help people with all kinds of musculoskeletal injuries and chronic conditions such as:

Chronic back, knee, foot or shoulder pain
Arthritis
Rotator cuff injuries
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Plantar fasciitis
Tendonitis
Neuropathy
Poorly healing wounds, burns or bone fractures

The common thread is that all these conditions involve some degree of damaged tissues that need healing. Those powerful sound waves get right to the source of the problem and kickstart your body’s natural regeneration.

Now that you know what Softwave therapy is all about, let’s get into the pressing question: is any of this paid for by insurance?!

Breaking Down the Cost: How Much is Softwave Therapy?

When considering any new medical treatment, one of the first questions is always – how much does it cost?!

The price of Softwave therapy varies depending on factors like where you get it done, which body part is being treated, and how many sessions you need.

Most Softwave clinics offer special discounted packages for new patients so you can give it a try. A new patient offer might include:

An initial consultation and assessment: $49
First Softwave treatment session: $99
Package of 6 treatments: $899

If you end up needing more intensive treatment, a package of 12 sessions could cost between $1500 – $2400. Each session lasts about 15 minutes.

That may sound pricey, but when you compare Softwave therapy to the cost of alternatives like medications, injections or surgery, it’s actually very competitive.

Let’s break it down:

Cortisone injections: $15,000 to $100,000 over a lifetime
Surgery: $3,000 to $75,000
Long term prescription medications: $15,000 to $70,000
Softwave therapy: $900 to $2,400 for complete treatment

Not to mention Softwave therapy is drug-free and non-invasive, helping you avoid the risks of surgery, drug dependence and side effects.

So while the out-of-pocket cost may still be high for some budgets, Softwave therapy offers great value compared to traditional treatments for injuries like torn ligaments, arthritis, fractures and nerve damage.

The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For: Is Softwave Therapy Covered By Insurance?

Now we get to the million dollar question – will insurance cover these treatments?

Unfortunately, at the current time most major insurance providers do not cover Softwave therapy sessions. That includes big names likes Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Softwave therapy is still considered an emerging treatment, even though it has strong clinical data backing its safety and effectiveness. Insurance coverage often lags behind the research when it comes to new treatments like this.

Insurers want to see the longest possible track record for treatments before they’ll cover it. Softwave will likely meet these requirements eventually, but it simply hasn’t been around long enough yet compared to things like cortisone injections and knee replacements.

Softwave therapy providers have applied and advocated for insurance coverage, but so far it has not been approved. This puts Softwave therapy costs in the category of paying out-of-pocket for now.

On a positive note – some patients have been successful getting Softwave treatments reimbursed through their Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA).

So check with your specific FSA or HSA provider to find out if you can get that tax-free money refunded towards your acoustic wave therapy. Every little bit helps!

At the end of the day though, you’ll likely need to pay those Softwave bills without insurance coverage. But there’s still ways to make it affordable if the treatment could significantly help your chronic pain or injuries.

How Does Softwave Therapy Compare to Other Treatment Options?

We already went over how the cost of Softwave stacks up against alternatives like surgery and steroid injections. But what about the actual effectiveness and recovery process?

Let’s go through a quick comparison so you can weigh the pros and cons:

Injections vs Softwave Therapy

Cortisone injections are common for treating inflammation and pain associated with arthritis, injuries, nerve damage, etc. They work by delivering a concentrated dose of steroids directly into the problem area.

Some key differences vs Softwave therapy:

Injections are invasive, Softwave completely non-invasive
Cortisone only suppresses symptoms temporarily; Softwave stimulates true healing
Injections come with side effects like weakened cartilage and infection risk
You may need up to 6 rounds of injections per year to sustain relief
Long term reliance on steroid injections can actually slow healing and worsen joint degeneration

Main takeaway: While cortisone injections provide quick short term relief for a lot of conditions, they don’t actually repair the underlying tissue damage. Softwave therapy promotes real regeneration without needles or medication risks.

Surgery vs Softwave Therapy

For torn ligaments, fractured bones, herniated discs and other structural injuries, surgery is often viewed as the “gold standard” fix. But it comes with extended recovery times and no guarantee of lasting relief.

Let’s compare:

Surgery requires weeks to months of downtime vs no downtime with Softwave
Long term studies show high percentage of patients with recurrent pain and need for repeat surgeries
Softwave helps heal and strengthen tissues non-invasively, reducing need for surgery
Overall better safety profile without anesthesia risks

In many cases you might be able to avoid going under the knife by using Softwave therapy to heal tissues instead. Talk with your orthopedist or health provider about whether it could help stabilize your injury before opting for surgical intervention.

Medications vs Softwave Therapy

Popping pills definitely doesn’t actively heal anything when it comes to orthopedic injuries and arthritis. Pain killers and anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen are just temporary band-aids covering up symptoms.

Medications only suppress pain signals – no healing of root causes
They come with side effects like internal bleeding and liver damage
Patients often get stuck taking them long term with worsening health over time
Acoustic wave therapy brings the lasting pain relief without any nasty side effects

Softwave therapy is a cost effective long term solution because it actually helps fix those tissues triggering pain signals in the first place!

Evaluating Softwave Therapy Effectiveness: Does It Really Work?

At this point you might be thinking – cool story about the technology, but does Softwave therapy actually get people lasting results? Fair question!

There’s loads of research showing the clinical benefits of acoustic wave therapy for healing musculoskeletal tissues. Softwave devices have gone through thorough FDA testing to back up their treatment claims.

Some examples:

Over 75% of Softwave trial patients saw significant improvement in arthritis pain and mobility
83% of rotator cuff injuries improved with no further tearing or need for surgery
Wounds treated with Softwave healed 500% faster compared to standard dressings
91% of carpal tunnel patients had reduced symptoms and regained strength and mobility

Beyond the statistics, real people are finding life-changing relief from this non-invasive therapy. Like Miranda, who says:

“After two knee reconstructions, no treatment gave me relief from constant pain until I tried Softwave therapy. Within a few weeks my pain has reduced by 80% and I’m sleeping through the night. I wish I’d known about this years ago – it has given me my life back!”

And Ryan shared:

“I was barely 30 when my shoulders started having constant pain from my physically demanding job. My doctor said I would need surgery soon. As a last resort I decided to try acoustic wave therapy first. After completing my Softwave treatments, I regained full mobility in my shoulders with almost no pain. Best health decision I’ve made!”

Thousands of people like Miranda and Ryan have experienced the tangible healing results from these sound wave treatments. And the research backs up that it can really deliver better mobility and lasting pain reduction compared to traditional options for many conditions causing suffering.

Bottom Line: The Proof is in the Pudding When It Comes to Softwave’s Ability to Heal

Hearing about Softwave therapy may trigger some skepticism at first, like any new treatment promising the world. But with the clinical evidence and real life patient stories accumulating, it’s clear this technology has the potential to help many people reverse injury and arthritis pain without drugs or going under the knife.

While insurance coverage would be nice, Softwave therapy represents an affordable investment compared to a lifetime struggling with mobility issues, pain and addictive medications.

Do Most Medical Insurance Policies Cover Alternative Therapies Like Softwave Therapy?

Yes, many medical insurance policies do cover alternative therapies like softwave therapy. However, coverage varies widely. It is important to check with your insurance provider for details about chiropractic care insurance coverage and what alternative therapies are included in your policy.

Still Have Questions? Here Are the FAQs:

We’ve covered a ton of ground when it comes to the capabilities of Softwave therapy and the current status of insurance coverage. But you might still have some burning questions.

Let’s run through some frequently asked questions to round out your knowledge:

How many Softwave therapy sessions will I need?

The number of treatments depends on factors like which body part is involved, whether the injury is acute or chronic, your age and overall health. Your practitioner will customize a plan, but on average you can expect 6 – 12 sessions.

Is there anyone who should NOT get Softwave therapy?

It is extremely safe for most people, but you should not use it over cancerous tumors, over the eyes or brain, or if you have an implanted device like a pacemaker. Talk with your provider about other specific precautions.

How long do results last from Softwave therapy?

Most people get lasting results from their treatment course. Some may opt for maintenance sessions on a periodic basis, like once or twice annually. Compare that to multiple steroid injection rounds per year that many people currently rely on!

Can Softwave be combined with other therapies?

It complements other treatments very well! For example getting Softwave treatments to heal your tissues along with targeted chiropractic adjustments for biomechanical function. Acoustic wave therapy helps create an optimal healing environment so other therapies work even better.

When it comes to insurance coverage for Softwave therapy, what does the future look like?

As Softwave therapy becomes more mainstream and long term clinical data accumulates, insurance coverage approvals could arrive in the next 2 – 5 years. Some plans do currently cover certain types of targeted shockwave treatments, so expanded coverage is on the horizon.

The Final Takeaway: Don’t Suffer in Silence When Softwave Therapy Offers Help

In closing, acoustic wave therapy represents an exciting new option for lasting relief from so many painful and mobility limiting orthopedic conditions. Clinical results and patient success stories continue piling up for Softwave treatment benefits.

While most major insurance providers still deny coverage, there are ways to access discounted packages and financing to make this innovative treatment affordable in light of its high ROI. Some patients even get FSA or HSA accounts to reimburse them.

Don’t lose hope if you feel like you’ve tried everything to get rid of persistent pain or regain strength after an injury. The research shows Softwave therapy helps most people:

Heal when other options have failed
Avoid repeat surgeries
Postpone knee/hip joint replacement
Resume activities they love pain-free

Why suffer in silence if acoustic wave therapy could be your ticket to lasting relief?

Although insurance coverage would be nice, the bottom line is Softwave therapy offers real hope right now to start healing properly and get your active life back!