8:00 am to 4:00pm Monday-Friday

Olive Health Program

MDVIP-Affiliated Practice

Stay in the game.Do what you love.

The Olive Health Program offers an innovative modality to enhance wellness and longevity — so you can spend your time doing what you love. As part of our evidence-based approach, we offer SoftWave therapy to support the body’s own healing.

Non-invasive No needles, no incisions No downtime
Active golfer and pickleball player receiving SoftWave shockwave therapy on her shoulder through the Olive Health Program

This program is for you if

You play golf, pickleball or tennis, but a nagging injury won’t let go.

You want more time in the garden, but pain flare ups take up your time.

Your cruise or overseas trip is booked, but you’re not sure about your knees.

You’re a busy executive and don’t want to miss weekend activities due to discomfort.

SoftWave Therapy

Non-invasive. Faster recovery. More time in the game.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) — is a non-invasive modality of treatment that works by restarting a healing process that has stalled. A Shockwave is an acoustic pressure pulse. The device produces controlled acoustic pressure pulses which are delivered through a hand held applicator of waves into the affected tissue.

Softwave therapy initiates the body’s self-healing process.

These waves enhance blood flow to an injured area, prompt the body to produce collagen and growth factors, help break down calcium deposits, and reduce pain.

No needles. No incisions. You return to your day immediately afterwards. Improvement typically builds over the weeks and months that follow, because the tissue itself is repairing.

Hyper-focusedEnergy converges on a single narrow point. Less forgiving when more than one structure is involved.
SoftWave — broadly focusedA wider treatment zone that still reaches meaningful depth, and tends to be better tolerated.

How healing restarts

One pulse, three phases.

Mechanical energy becomes cellular activity, and cellular activity becomes repair. The cycle is why improvement keeps building after the sessions end.

PHASE 1 Physical Mechanical energy PHASE 2 Cellular ATP and signaling PHASE 3 Biological Repair and growth
  • 01PhysicalAcoustic pulses travel into the tissue, creating mechanical energy where the healing has stalled.
  • 02CellularCells respond — blood flow to the injured area increases, and signaling pathways switch back on.
  • 03BiologicalThe body produces collagen and growth factors, breaks down calcium deposits, and pain decreases.

The technology we use

SoftWave TRT (Tissue Regeneration Technologies)

Softwave uses its patented parabolic reflector to produce a broadly focused shockwave — a wider treatment zone that still reaches meaningful depth. That matters clinically, since musculoskeletal pain often involves more than one structure, and it tends to be better tolerated than hyper-focused devices.

Our decision to offer shockwave therapy using SoftWave TRT is based on extensive published research and the experience of prestigious medical institutions and professional sports teams.

Is Softwave Therapy right for you?

It may be a good fit if…

  • Pain has lingered despite rest, physical therapy, or previous treatments
  • You want to recover faster and get back to what you love
  • You prefer a non-invasive option before considering injections or surgery
  • Minimal downtime matters to you
  • You’d rather address something early than work around it

What we treat

Ten conditions we see most.

  • Golfer’s elbow
  • Tennis elbow
  • Rotator cuff and shoulder pain
  • Low back pain
  • Wrist tendinopathy
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Patellar tendinopathy
  • Knee pain
  • IT band syndrome
  • Chronic inflammation of soft tissue

What to expect

Two steps: find it, then treat it.

01Mapping

“Feel it to heal it”

Everyone first receives a mapping session.

The SoftWave probe is placed on the impacted site and slowly moved. Normal tissue feels a tapping sensation from the transmitted shockwaves. Inflamed or injured tissue produces a zing — patients often describe it as a bit “spicy.”

This biofeedback from the device allows us to identify the exact target area. After a mapping session, a shared decision is made about whether to move forward with treatment.

Schedule your $50 evaluation
Probe biofeedback Tap · normal tissue
Tapping — healthy tissue Zing — target found Drag to map →
02Therapy

Non-invasive. No needles. No downtime.

Gel, a handpiece on the skin, and a series of acoustic pulses delivered into the tissue below.

Treatment is simple, and it fits into a normal day.

Sessions
10–15 minutes each
Frequency
Typically 1× per week
Course
Usually 6 sessions
Downtime
None

FAQs

Questions we get asked.

Does it hurt?

Most patients describe firm tapping, sometimes with a brief zing over the tender spot — which helps confirm we’re treating the right area. Intensity is adjustable throughout, and it is generally well tolerated.

Any precautions afterwards?

No downtime is required. We ask that you avoid NSAIDs (Aleve, ibuprofen, meloxicam) and avoid icing the treated area for a certain period, since the increase in blood flow from the treatment is part of the self-healing process. Tylenol is OK to take.

What are the chances of success?

Patients typically report progressive improvement as the tissue heals. In a published review of shockwave therapy for musculoskeletal conditions, success rates ranged from 65% to 91%, with low and negligible complications.

What are the risks?

Reported side effects are typically minor: brief redness and mild soreness, for a short period.

Who isn’t a candidate?

We don’t treat over an active cancer, an active infection, a pregnant abdomen, if you have received steroids within 4 weeks of treatment, or around pacemakers or stents.

Patients on blood thinners, with bleeding disorders, or who bruise easily need individual assessments.

Is it covered by insurance?

Generally, no. You’ll receive a clear outline of costs before scheduling treatment sessions after your initial evaluation.

The Olive Health Program

Stay in the game.Do what you love.

Every course begins with a mapping evaluation, so we know exactly what we’re treating before we treat it.

Olive Health Program office at 6354 Walker Lane in Alexandria, VA

The Olive Health Program is open to members and non-members of the practice. We only treat individuals 18 and older. The Olive Health Program reserves the right to decline appointments.

For non-members: participation does not establish a primary care doctor–patient relationship. No referrals, laboratory testing, or prescriptions are provided through the program.

Like all therapies, not all individuals will experience identical results, and results may vary.