Knee Pain Care in Dayton
Knee pain can make stairs, exercise, work, and even everyday walking more difficult. For some people, the problem begins with an injury. For others, knee pain develops gradually from arthritis, repetitive stress, or changes in the tissues surrounding the joint.
When knee pain persists, treatment options may include anti-inflammatory medications, injections, physical therapy, or, in more advanced cases, surgery. At Vital Health Wellness Center, Dr. Greg Goffe offers another conservative option for appropriate patients: SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Technologies (TRT).
Looking Beyond the Location of the Pain
Where you feel knee pain isn’t always the whole story.
The knee is a complex joint involving cartilage, bone, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and other connective tissues. Different structures can contribute to similar symptoms, which is why Dr. Goffe begins by evaluating the knee rather than simply treating the location that hurts.
One feature of SoftWave that Dr. Goffe finds particularly useful is the Discovery Session. During the session, supersonic sound waves are applied systematically around the knee. Healthy or less-irritated areas may produce relatively little sensation, while symptomatic or sensitized tissues may be more responsive.
This response does not by itself diagnose a specific injury. Instead, it helps Dr. Goffe identify responsive areas, correlate those findings with the examination and health history, and determine whether SoftWave may be an appropriate treatment option.
How SoftWave Works
SoftWave uses electrohydraulic acoustic waves that travel into the treatment area and create mechanical stimulation within the tissues.
This process is often described as mechanotransduction—the conversion of mechanical energy into biological signals within cells and tissues. SoftWave TRT is a specialized type of extracorporeal shockwave therapy. Research into shockwave therapy has demonstrated biological responses involving cellular signaling and proliferation, new blood-vessel formation, changes in the extracellular matrix, modulation of inflammatory signaling, and other processes associated with tissue repair and regeneration.
Importantly, some of this mechanistic research has been performed using electrohydraulic devices manufactured by SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Technologies, the company behind SoftWave. In laboratory and animal research using a TRT electrohydraulic device, shockwave treatment triggered ATP release and downstream ERK signaling, increased proliferation in several cell types—including human adipose-derived stem cells—and enhanced wound healing in an animal model.
Other reviews of the broader shockwave literature describe mechanotransduction, vascularization, cell proliferation, protein biosynthesis, extracellular-matrix remodeling, and related repair responses as mechanisms that may contribute to tissue regeneration.
That makes the goal different from simply masking pain. SoftWave treatment is intended to stimulate a biological response within the treated tissues while potentially improving pain and function.
Moving Beyond Temporary Pain Relief
Anti-inflammatory medications and injections can be useful for controlling knee pain in appropriate situations. However, reducing pain and inflammation is not necessarily the same thing as improving the condition of the tissues contributing to the problem.
Dr. Goffe often compares this to driving a car with its front end out of alignment. You may be able to keep driving, but continuing to put miles on the car without addressing the underlying problem can contribute to additional wear.
For active Dayton residents—and for people whose jobs involve prolonged standing, lifting, climbing, manufacturing, logistics, construction, or other physically demanding activities—the goal is not simply to quiet the knee temporarily. Whenever possible, we want to improve function while supporting the body’s own repair processes.
What Types of Knee Problems May Be Evaluated?
People seek evaluation at Vital Health Wellness Center for many different types of knee complaints, including:
- Knee osteoarthritis
- Chronic or recurring knee pain
- Tendon-related knee pain
- Overuse injuries
- Sports-related knee pain
- Pain around the kneecap
- Persistent pain following a previous knee injury
- Certain types of postsurgical knee discomfort
Not every knee condition is appropriate for SoftWave treatment. Significant trauma, instability, suspected fracture, infection, severe swelling, or other concerning findings may require imaging or evaluation by an orthopedic or other medical specialist.
What Does the Research Say About SoftWave TRT and Shockwave Therapy for Knee Pain?
SoftWave TRT is a specialized type of extracorporeal shockwave therapy, a broader category of technology that has been studied for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including knee osteoarthritis.
Research helps us understand SoftWave in two important ways. First, laboratory studies help explain how shockwaves may support the body’s healing response. Studies have found that shockwave therapy can trigger biological activity involved in tissue repair, including increased cell activity, formation of new small blood vessels, changes in collagen and other supporting tissue, and signaling that helps regulate healing and inflammation. Some of this research has also demonstrated improved strength and quality of repaired tendon tissue.
Second, clinical studies look at what patients actually experience. A 2024 review of 24 studies involving 888 patients found that shockwave therapy improved outcomes for people with knee osteoarthritis compared with sham treatment, although people with severe arthritis tended to respond less favorably. Another 2024 analysis of seven randomized controlled trials involving 450 patients found improvements in commonly used measures of knee pain and function. Earlier research has also reported improvements in pain and physical function, although results and treatment methods vary among studies.
Together, this research provides a scientific basis for using SoftWave TRT, a specialized type of shockwave therapy, to stimulate biological processes associated with tissue repair and regeneration while potentially improving pain and function. This does not mean SoftWave can regrow lost cartilage, reverse every type of arthritis, or eliminate the need for surgery in every patient. The purpose of your evaluation and Discovery Session is to determine whether your particular knee condition is one that may benefit from this conservative approach.
Knee Pain After Surgery
Some people continue to experience discomfort even after arthroscopy, knee replacement, or another surgical procedure.
Surgery naturally results in scar tissue as part of the healing process. Scar tissue is often weaker and stiffer than the original tissue and can sometimes be more painful. In some cases, postsurgical discomfort may be related to scar tissue created during normal healing or to changes in the surrounding muscles, tendons, and connective tissues.
SoftWave may be considered in selected postsurgical patients to address appropriate tissues surrounding the surgical area. Treatment following surgery depends on the type of procedure, the tissues involved, healing status, and other individual factors.
SoftWave is not a treatment for a loose, infected, mechanically failing, or otherwise problematic joint replacement, and symptoms suggesting a surgical complication should be evaluated by the appropriate medical specialist.
A Non-Surgical Option Worth Exploring
SoftWave TRT is a specialized type of extracorporeal shockwave therapy. This broader field has been used internationally for many years and has an expanding body of peer-reviewed research in musculoskeletal medicine.
Dr. Goffe has incorporated SoftWave into his Dayton practice for more than four years and uses it as part of a conservative approach for patients who may be trying to remain active, improve function, or explore options before progressing to more invasive treatment.
SoftWave devices have received FDA clearance for specific indications. As with many medical technologies, use for an individual musculoskeletal condition should be based on appropriate clinical evaluation rather than FDA clearance alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an MRI before having a SoftWave Discovery Session?
Does a painful area during the Discovery Session mean the tissue is damaged?
Can SoftWave be considered before knee surgery?
Can SoftWave help knee arthritis?
Can SoftWave be used after knee surgery?
How many SoftWave treatments will I need?
Find Out Whether SoftWave Is Right for Your Knee
Persistent knee pain doesn’t automatically mean that surgery is your next step—or that you simply have to live with it.
A SoftWave Discovery Session at Vital Health Wellness Center gives Dr. Greg Goffe an opportunity to evaluate your knee, identify clinically responsive areas, and determine whether SoftWave may be an appropriate conservative option for you.
