How Much Does Shockwave Therapy for ED Cost?

Erectile dysfunctions in many men are both uncomfortable and painful occurrences. This condition blocks you from a fulfilling sexual performance, where you and your partner can enjoy intimacy satisfactorily. ED is mostly seen in men as they age, with research showing that about 40% of men develop erectile mishaps by age 40 years. It may cause further damage to your reproductive health, and if not assessed correctly and in time, severe effects like infertility and impotence can evolve.But What Causes ED in Men?

A man is said to have an erection when blood is pumped into the penis through the veins into the relaxed penile muscles causing them to expand or extend after sexual excitement. Additionally, a man with a proper erection can maintain it for the nominal time without fail, or in this case, up to completion.

Causes of erectile dysfunction vary, ranging from both lifestyles to diseases that may affect you as a male. ED may run from physical causes like diseases to psychological ones like stress that make you have the downside of sex life. Here are some of the medically proven causes of erectile dysfunctions in men:

• Cardiovascular diseases- conditions aligned with heart problems may lead to ED problems due to lack of proper blood flow.

• Diabetes disrupts the flow and retention of blood in the penis.

• High blood pressure evokes unpredictability and instability of blood flow.

• Obesity and being overweight- being heavy does not necessarily translate to being obese. Check your recommended BMI to ascertain your condition.

• High cholesterol affects the heart and thereby blood flow if not sufficient into the penis veins.

• Kidney disease

• Age is a contributor to how your erections perform. As a pointer, 90% of men develop erectile problems by the time they reach 70 years.

• Anxiety and depression cause the heart rate to increase, which, in return, can affect the blood flow to the penis.

• Other disorders like Peyronie's disease and multiple sclerosis may make you lose the ability to have a rigid erection.

Note that any of these conditions may cause you to develop an ED, and even you may have more than one condition. A professional checkup is necessary to fully diagnose the problem and treat the underlying ailment that may be causing the reproductive dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction has differing effects from one patient to the other. Some common reproductive effects include impotence and low libido, losing your sex drive, inability to satisfy your partner during sex, and infertility. You may also experience psychological effects such as anxiety, low esteem, lack of sexual confidence, seclusion, and conflicts/aggression. Other harms include headaches, pain (in the case of a venous leak), and experiencing emotional distress. Such can result in heart attacks and strokes.

How Do You Know That You Have an ED: Diagnosis

From time to time, a man may experience erectile failure due to the effects of work stress, emotional baggage, or fatigue. If you can't maintain an erection or fail to achieve one altogether, this should not mean that you have an ED problem. However, you should be worried if this repeats itself over time, as there is a possibility that you are ailing. A physical exam with the doctor is always the best step to debunk knowledge on the presence of erectile dysfunction.

Testosterone levels take a huge chunk of the factors that will affect your erection. Testosterone is responsible for your manly behaviors and also reproductive operations like erections and semen production. If the levels of this reproductive hormone are low, you may experience low sex drive, impotence, fatigue, etc. This is why physical testing is crucial as it tells what is causing the dysfunction.

Additionally, you may talk with a therapist to ascertain if your condition is in sync with the psychological realm of things. Conditions like anxiety and depression may cause low libido, which is a symptom of ED. 

Talking to a therapist straightens the emotional side of sexual response that may, otherwise, hinder you from naturally achieving erections even with treatment. Psychosexual therapy aims at rooting out the causes of emotional barriers to good sexual performance like confidence and trauma; you receive guidelines into ways of overcoming these hurdles.

Shockwave Therapy as a Treatment for ED

There are many leads to treating ED-associated problems. You may opt for operation, medication by injections, etc. 

Low-intensity shockwave therapy involves treating the erectile problem using sound waves. During treatment, targeted sound waves stimulate the tissue in the penis, encouraging blood flow into the penis. Research has shown that this therapy promotes the growth of new blood vessels that can grow when using this treatment with low intensified shock waves. More blood vessels mean more rigid erections due to the increased blood flow.

Inducing neovascularization by low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy-LI-ESWT for shorts- could potentially improve cavernosal vein blood flow into the penis. This treatment banks on that one of the primary causes of ED is poor blood flow in the cavernosal artery.

Using shockwave therapy as a treatment for ED is viable, and can solve most erectile dysfunctions. However, more research needs to be considered to fully understand this technology as a form of treatment. Since it is fairly new, much information on the accessibility and availability is still scanty. So when choosing this treatment as an option for your erectile problem, you should do due diligence to avoid further damage to your body by a quacky therapist.

Cost of Shockwave Therapy for Treating ED

Shockwave therapy is functional when it comes to ED remedies that are available today. However, since it is quite a new treatment method, it’s not offered by many hospitals. As a result, it may not be covered by available insurance policies. This means that you will have to pay from your pocket. There are discussions to include this method as a treatment that is payable health insurance covers.

This therapy consists of six sessions administered periodically. Your Urologist will have a wand-like device that is moved around the surface of the penis, emitting low wave pulses that coax blood flow into the penile muscle. The treatment is quick and painless, with each session taking around fifteen minutes. The cost breakdown is as follows:

Price per LI-EWST session = $400 - $500

Number of sessions needed = 6

Total amount to be spent = $2400 - $3000

Advantages of Using Shock Wave Therapy for Treating ED

Using shockwave therapy has some benefits tied into it. These make the technique special and a preference, especially for men who have continued ED problems.

• It is non-invasive- ED treatment using this method uses LI-ESWT applied onto the surface of your skin around the penile periphery. This means that unlike some of the other treatment options for erectile problems, shock wave therapy does not require surgery or pills to boost your erection ability.

• No further medication is needed during treatment- many operations and treatments regimens require you to take painkillers and antibiotics to boost the recovery process. Shock wave therapy induces sound waves to the cavernosal arteries increasing blood flow for effective erections. This means after treatment life continues as it did before, only that this time you are getting better erections.

• Painless procedure- LI-ESWT is painless as low-intensity sound waves are calm and therefore induce no pain or numbness of any kind that evokes pain. It is like a massage, with patients experiencing a little tingling sensation only.

• The procedure is fast. Each session takes about 15 minutes to complete, and you typically only require six to full recovery.

• This procedure has minimal risks, as the treatment is external. The side effects common with other treatment options like using pills are absent.

• Shock wave therapy offers a lasting solution, treating the root causes of the ED rather than the symptoms that are evident. This allows for a more natural recovery process. Patients can produce natural erections upon arousal instead of relying on pumps and pills.

• Unlike pills that you will have to refill now and then, shockwave therapy offers a lasting solution that treats the causes, meaning that the treatment restores your ability to achieve an erection naturally.

• The success rate of this therapy is high, with 70% of the patients who use this method reporting full recovery. This method is also compatible with other treatments; you can still use the pills, for example, Viagra, as you wait for the results of the LI-ESWT.

Before getting shock wave therapy, you must check with your Urologist to ascertain the cause of the symptoms you have. Also, you can consider other ED treatments like therapy that can offer remedies without the cost of LI-ESWT. Find a qualified urologist to give you the whole spectrum of expectations and affiliations to this treatment afront.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is treatment expected to last, and how many sessions are recommended?

It takes about 15 minutes to perform the treatment. Treatment is simple, with only six treatment appointments needed for a full dose.

Has the FDA approved Shockwave Therapy?

Currently, the FDA has not approved Shock Wave therapy. However,  testing and numerous peer reviews have proven that 70% of the patients have Shock Wave therapy.

Is insurance covered for Shockwave Therapy?

At present, insurance companies don't cover shock wave therapy. However, discussions are underway to include it.

What does ED Therapy cost for Shockwave?

The typical patient is to have six therapies, with each shockwave therapy is $400-$500.

Who could take advantage of ED Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave therapy is likely to be beneficial for anyone suffering from mild to severe erectile dysfunction. This includes almost 50% of men struggling to get or keep an erection.