How to Price Shockwave Therapy Without Confusing Your Patients

Estimated read time: 3 minutes

I recently got a question from Sarah. She’s been successfully using laser therapy in her practice, offering six treatments for $700.

Recently, she added a radial shockwave machine and was struggling with one big question:

How do I transition from laser to shockwave without making pricing and treatment options confusing?

Here’s the simplest way I recommend handling it.

Combine Treatments Into a Regenerative Package

Instead of offering laser and shockwave separately, I recommend bundling them together.

If you’re already doing six laser sessions for around $700, consider creating a regenerative therapy package that includes both shockwave and laser.

For example:

• 6 sessions of shockwave
• Laser included during the same visits
• Total package price around $1,500

That works out to roughly $250 per session, which is exactly how I price my shockwave treatments.

The key reason I like this approach is simplicity.

If you offer both treatments separately, patients start asking:

“Should I do laser for $700 or shockwave for $1,200?”

Instead, you can confidently say:

“This package combines both therapies into one treatment plan.”

In my practice, if I have a laser available in that office, I simply add it during the shockwave session and don’t charge extra.

Should Shockwave Be Discounted Inside an Office Visit?

Some doctors feel uncomfortable charging $250 per shockwave session.

Instead, they try to hide it inside an office visit. For example:

• $100 office visit
• $150 add-on for shockwave

You can do it this way, but I personally prefer keeping things clean.

If it’s an office visit, it’s an office visit.

If it’s shockwave, it’s shockwave.

Here’s how my workflow typically looks.

Visit 1

• Initial evaluation
• X-rays if needed
• Conservative plan, including night splints, foam rolling, and stretching

Visit 2 — About Three Weeks Later

• Ultrasound evaluation
• If I see plantar fascia thickening or tendon changes, I recommend shockwave
• I often perform the first shockwave session that same day

Shockwave Schedule

• 6 total sessions
• Weekly treatments
• Visits 2–5 typically without office visits

Final Session

• Graduation visit
• Review the recovery plan
• Schedule follow-up in 6 weeks

That final session does count as an office visit because we’re reassessing the patient and discussing the next steps.

Why Ultrasound Helps Patients Say Yes

One of the best decisions Sarah made was purchasing an ultrasound.

Here’s why it helps so much.

Many tendon problems aren’t visible externally. You can’t always see:

• Plantar fascia thickening
• Tendon fiber disruption
• Small effusions

But when patients see the pathology on the ultrasound screen, the decision to move forward with treatment becomes much easier.

In my practice, we charge:

• $100 per foot for ultrasound
• I typically charge it once per foot, not repeatedly

If both feet are symptomatic, it’s $200 total. But I don’t continue charging for repeat ultrasounds later.

My Recommendation for Sarah

If you’re already doing laser therapy and you’ve added shockwave, the simplest path is:

Bundle them together.

Create a regenerative therapy package and avoid giving patients too many treatment choices.

Simple pricing makes the treatment plan easier to explain.

Key Takeaways

1. Bundle laser + shockwave into a regenerative therapy package.
2. Price shockwave around $250 per session — about $1,500 for six sessions.
3. Keep office visits separate from procedure pricing.
4. Use ultrasound to help patients understand the diagnosis and treatment recommendation.
5. Keep treatment options simple. Too many choices can make decisions harder.

The goal isn’t to make your treatment options more complicated.

It’s to make it easier for patients to understand what you recommend and why.

Want help simplifying how you present treatment options? Contact me about your practice.