How to Choose the Right Shockwave Machine for Your Practice
READ TIME – 2 MINUTES
Hey, Don here from Podiatry Practice Mastery—helping you grow your practice to the $1,000,000 mark and beyond.
I recently got a great question from Allison about which shockwave device to buy. Since many of you ask the same thing, here’s my straightforward take after owning and using multiple systems in our clinic.
Stop Choosing Based on Insurance Hopes
A lot of reps will pitch future reimbursement as the main selling point. We’ve billed SoftWave a few times and occasionally got paid, but I would never buy a device assuming insurance will cover it long term.
If shockwave becomes covered broadly, reimbursement will inevitably drop. It becomes a commodity, and the value gets squeezed. So take insurance completely off the decision-making table.
Storz vs. SoftWave: The Real Differences
We currently have:
- Storz radial
- Storz focused
- SoftWave
We don’t have Zimmer or Chattanooga, though I’ll touch on them briefly.
Storz (the industry leader)
If I could do it over again, I’d probably own two focused and two radial units. Why?
- High trust and long-term durability
- Strong company reputation
- They dominate conferences and education
- Great for foot and ankle due to smaller treatment heads
- Simple to use and maintain (aside from occasionally refilling the focused water reservoir)
Price ballpark:
- Radial ~ $15k
- Focused ~ $60k
For peroneals, sesamoids, neuromas, and smaller surface areas, Storz is simply easier to work with.
SoftWave
SoftWave works extremely well too—and if it were your only device, you’d be just fine. But there are some trade-offs:
Pros
- Larger treatment head
- Easy to treat both deep and superficial structures simultaneously
- Strong (sometimes aggressive) sales teams that know how to close deals
Cons
- Handpieces require periodic refurbishment
- Higher price point
- Bigger treatment head can be limiting for smaller foot/ankle structures
- More chiropractic and PT proliferation → more local competition
SoftWave is excellent for hips, backs, or larger surface areas. For podiatry, the head size is the biggest drawback.
Other Devices (Chattanooga, Zimmer)
Chattanooga often feels like buying an older version of a Storz device. It’s cheaper, but you sacrifice quality and support. We always follow this rule:
Buy high quality. You’ll make the money back.
The real danger is buying a cheaper device you don’t believe in… and then never using it.
The Most Important Factor of All
Your ability to explain the value to patients matters more than the device you choose. A great machine that sits unused because you're uncomfortable presenting it is a waste of money.
If you're unsure, lease first. Make sure you actually like using it and can confidently recommend it.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t buy a shockwave machine assuming insurance will cover it someday.
- Storz is the most reliable, durable, and foot-friendly option.
- SoftWave is great—especially for larger surface areas—but has more maintenance and local competition.
- Cheaper devices rarely pay off if you don’t trust them enough to use them consistently.
- Your patient presentation skills matter more than the brand you choose.