If you’re diabetic and struggle with erectile dysfunction, you may not be able to take oral medications for ED due to the potential side effects. Fortunately, shockwave therapy can be effective at treating ED caused by diabetes. Learn more about why diabetes causes ED and how shockwave therapy can help.
Why Does Diabetes Cause ED?
Diabetes and ED are often linked together due to the damage diabetes can do to blood vessels and nerves. In fact, studies suggest that somewhere between 35% and 75% of men with diabetes have suffered from ED. In addition to these high rates of ED, diabetics often experience ED symptoms 10 to 15 years earlier than men without diabetes.
The higher rates of ED in diabetics can be traced back to the effects of diabetes on the blood vessels and nerves in the penis. Since high blood sugar can harm blood vessels, the penis’s blood vessels are often impacted and cause diabetics to experience erectile dysfunction. Essentially, the damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the penis can end up reducing blood flow to the penis, making it difficult for many diabetics to achieve or maintain an erection.
What Is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive, natural approach to treating ED with high-frequency, low-intensity sound waves. In this treatment, a medical professional will use a wand-like device that generates sound waves on the penis. These sound waves target the main causes of ED by breaking up plaque formation, stimulating the release of dormant stem cells and growth factors, and increasing blood flow.
Since plaque can build up over time in the penis and cause blockages in penile vessels, it can be a major cause of ED in many men. Shockwave therapy uses sound waves to break up the plaque, so it can pass through the vessels, freeing them up to handle more blood.
Alongside breaking up plaque, the sound waves release growth factors in penile tissue and cause new blood vessels to form. These new blood vessels allow more blood to flow into the penis. Besides releasing growth factors, the sound waves activate dormant stem cells, which cause new cell growth that can repair damaged nerves.
Does Shockwave Therapy Help Treat ED in Diabetics?
If you’re looking for an ED treatment for diabetes and sexual performance, shockwave therapy is an excellent choice. While anyone with diabetes and ED can often see positive results from lifestyle changes, like improving their exercise habits and diet to better maintain sugar levels, these changes won’t actually heal the damaged blood vessels in the penis. Shockwave therapy complements lifestyle changes by treating the root causes of ED in diabetics. By treating these root causes, shockwave therapy is an effective ED treatment option for diabetics.
How Shockwave Therapy Treats Diabetes-Related ED
Even if you’re prescribed pills to assist with diabetes-related ED, these pills are short-term solutions. Unlike shockwave therapy, ED pills only treat the issue for a few hours before they need to be taken again. As we mentioned previously, diabetics often suffer from ED due to nerve damage and damaged blood vessels. ED pills will increase blood flow in the penis for a short time without repairing them or treating any of the underlying issues.
In contrast, shockwave therapy goes after damaged blood vessels and nerves to provide a long-lasting solution to diabetics. When you undergo shockwave therapy for diabetes-related ED, the sound waves will activate stem cells that will help repair damaged nerves in your penis that might inhibit your erections. Additionally, growth factors will create new blood vessels, meaning your blood will have more pathways to travel to the penis and won’t rely solely on damaged blood vessels.
By repairing damaged nerves and opening up new pathways, shockwave therapy offers diabetics a natural solution to ED that doesn’t require pills or invasive surgeries. Besides increasing blood flow to the penis, shockwave therapy can lead to greater sensation in the penis, as it breaks down scar tissue that could cause a reduced sensation. After completing therapy, men often report more frequent and longer-lasting erections, improved sensation, greater sexual performance, and stronger orgasms. As a long-term treatment solution, the positive effects of shockwave therapy often last around two years.
Find a GAINSWave® Certified Shockwave Therapy Provider Near You
As the leader in sexual wellness, GAINSWave is proud to treat men with diabetes who also suffer from ED. With an over 75% success rate based on over 100 clinical studies, shockwave therapy has proven itself to be an effective treatment for many with ED, including those with diabetes. Due to our desire to provide only the best medical care to our patients, all of our certified GAINSWave-providers have to use standardized protocols and equipment set by our Medical Advisory Board, ensuring you receive only the best care.
Learn more about GAINSWave’s ability to treat ED, and take our short questionnaire to see if you qualify for treatment. Once approved, use our provider locator to find a GAINSWave-certified shockwave therapy near you.