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StemWave is focused acoustic wave therapy for tendon and joint pain. At FirstCall DPC in Santa Rosa Beach, a physician examines the joint and looks at it with ultrasound before anything is treated. If StemWave fits, your first treatment happens the same visit. The first visit is $49, credited toward your plan.
A hand-held applicator delivers focused sound energy into a painful tendon or joint to provoke the body’s own repair response. A session takes about ten minutes. There is no anesthetic and no downtime, and a plan is usually 6 to 12 sessions over several weeks.
StemWave is an FDA-registered Class I device. Focused shockwave devices as a group have held FDA clearance for plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow since the early 2000s. StemWave itself is not FDA-cleared, and we say so plainly.
Tennis and golfer's elbow
Plantar fasciitis and heel pain
Achilles and patellar tendon pain
Rotator cuff and calcific shoulder pain
Pain on the outside of the hip
Hamstring tendon pain
Mild to moderate knee, shoulder and hip arthritis
A cortisone shot that worked, then stopped
Not sure yours fits? That is what the first visit answers.
Bone-on-bone arthritis that needs a replacement. A full tear that needs a surgeon. Pregnancy, a pacemaker near the area, blood thinners without clearance, infection or cancer at the site, and open growth plates. The physician decides at the exam.
Step 1: Exam
Dr. Petersen or Dr. Carlson examines the joint.
Step 2: Ultrasound
We look at the tendon and the joint before we treat anything.
Step 3: First treatment
If StemWave fits, Ronna Kramer, RN, delivers it the same visit. About ten minutes.
Step 4: The plan
You hear one recommendation. The $49 is credited toward it if you start within 14 days
We do not bill insurance for this service. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
| Cortisone Shot | Shockwave at a Chiropractor or PT | StemWave at FirstCall | Ultrasound-Guided PRP | Surgery | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Steroid injected into a joint or bursa | Usually a radial pressure-wave device | Focused acoustic wave | Platelets from your own blood, placed with ultrasound | Repair or replacement |
| Where it works | Joints and bursae. We do not inject tendons with steroid | Near the surface | At depth, in the tendon or joint | In the exact tissue the physician targets | Full tears, bone on bone |
| Who decides | Physician | Varies by office | Physician, after exam and ultrasound | Physician | Surgeon |
| Visits | One, up to three a year per joint | A series | Usually 6 to 12 | One to three | One, then recovery |
| At FirstCall | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | We refer |
For some tendon and joint problems the physician recommends StemWave first and PRP after. Both are done in our Santa Rosa Beach office.
Golf, tennis, pickleball, running, lifting and team sports send us the same handful of injuries. Our physicians have spent years on the sideline: Dr. Petersen is a former collegiate All-American and has been a team physician for Greater Heights Wrestling since 2014. Athletes leave the first visit with a written return-to-play note. Patients under 18 are seen with a parent present, and the physician checks the growth plates before anything is treated.
StemWave is an FDA-registered Class I device. It is not FDA-cleared or FDA-approved. Focused shockwave devices as a group hold FDA clearance for plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow. We tell patients this directly because some clinics do not.
Usually not. Many offices use radial pressure-wave devices, which work near the surface. StemWave is focused, so the energy is concentrated deeper in the tendon or joint. The bigger difference at FirstCall DPC is that a physician examines you first and decides whether you should have it at all.
It depends on what is injured. A steroid injection can be the right call for a joint or bursa that needs short-term relief. We do not inject tendons with steroid. Tendon problems are treated with focused acoustic wave, PRP, or both. The physician decides after the exam and ultrasound.
It is uncomfortable over the sore spot, like deep tapping, and it fades within a minute of stopping. No numbing is used. Mild soreness for a day or two is common. You drive yourself home.
Most plans are 6 to 12 sessions over several weeks. Many patients notice a change by the third or fourth session. The physician recommends one plan after examining you, and we go over the options in the office.
You score your pain and function after every session. If the numbers have not improved by session four, the physician re-examines you at no charge and changes the plan.
Sometimes. A parent must be present, and the physician looks at the growth plates on ultrasound first, because open growth plates near the area change what we would do.
The first visit is $49 and includes the exam, ultrasound and first treatment if it fits. It is credited toward your plan. We do not bill insurance for this service. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
FirstCall DPC · 116 MC Davis Blvd, Suite 301, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 · (850) 608-8046
Results vary. Nothing on this page is a diagnosis; the exam is where that happens.
THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT.
