What is the main cause of Peyronie's disease?

The most common reason for Peyronie's disease to occur is through repeated injury or trauma. There is some indication that a family history can also contribute to contracting the disease. Those suffering from connective tissue diseases have also shown an increased likelihood of contracting the disease. If you fall under any of these categories, you may be at greater risk of developing the condition.

Can Peyronie's disease go away?

Peyronie's can go away with the help of a medical professional. In very rare cases the disease will end on its own, but the vast majority of people are going to need medical care in order to see any significant improvements.

What happens if Peyronie's is left untreated?

In a very small number of patients, Peyronie's can go away naturally; around 10% of those experiencing the condition will experience this. For the remaining 90%, though, they will either remain unchanged in their condition or continue to get worse, with the curve becoming more and more severe.

What does Peyronie's look like?

Peyronie's causes a significant and abnormal bend in the penis. This is often accompanied by feelings of pain. The bend typically occurs during an erection and will be noticeably different from normal curvature.

Become a Provider Find a Provider

Shockwave Therapy and Penile Rehabilitation After Prostatectomy

Non-invasive.
No surgery, no needles.
Ten to fifteen minutes per session.
Backed by 40+ peer-reviewed studies
5 million+ treatments delivered through the largest certified network in North America.

Find a Provider

What Is Shockwave Therapy for Erectile Recovery?

Prostate surgery saves lives, and it also commonly affects erections, because the nerves and blood vessels that control them run right alongside the prostate. Penile rehabilitation is the plan for recovering erectile function after surgery, and shockwave therapy is one non-invasive tool that can be part of it. It works on the blood-flow side of recovery, supporting the penile tissue while the nerves heal. After a radical prostatectomy, erectile difficulty is expected rather than a sign that something has gone wrong. Post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction is common, and for many men it improves with time and a rehabilitation plan. Even with nerve-sparing surgery, the nerves are bruised and take months to recover, and during that time the tissue can lose condition without regular blood flow. That is the reasoning behind rehabilitation: keep the tissue healthy and the blood flowing so that when nerve function returns, the physical foundation for an erection is still there. Shockwave therapy contributes to that by delivering low-intensity acoustic waves that stimulate neovascularization, the growth of new blood vessels, which supports circulation in the penis during recovery. It works best as part of a plan, not instead of one. Penile rehabilitation is directed by your urologist, and usually combines several tools, so shockwave is something to add in coordination with your surgical team rather than on its own. It is backed by more than 40 peer‒reviewed studies and over 5 million treatments delivered, with a growing body of research on its use after prostatectomy. A certified provider works with your recovery timeline and your urologist's guidance to see whether and when it fits.

What to Expect: Benefits and Side Effects

Two things worth knowing before you begin: what the treatment can realistically offer, and what the tradeoffs are.

Here is a straight look at both.

What men report after treatment

Recovery after prostatectomy is gradual, and shockwave therapy fits that pace rather than promising a quick change. Used as part of rehabilitation, it aims to support the blood flow and tissue health that erections depend on while the nerves recover over months. Men who add it to their plan are generally looking to give recovery the best physical foundation, alongside the other tools their urologist recommends. The session itself is quick and done in a provider's office. A provider applies a gel and moves the device across the penis, delivering pulses that feel like a light tapping, which most men find easy to sit through. Nothing is injected and nothing is swallowed, so you return to normal activity right away. How much it helps depends heavily on your surgery, particularly whether nerves were spared, and on where you are in recovery. A certified provider sets honest expectations based on your situation and coordinates with your care team.

Side effects and who should avoid it

Shockwave therapy is non-invasive, and side effects are usually mild and short-lived. The most common are temporary redness, mild soreness, or slight bruising in the treated area that settles within a day or two. Serious problems are uncommon, which is part of why the therapy has been used across millions of treatments. Timing and clearance matter more here than with most GAINSWave for Him conditions. You should not start until your surgeon confirms you have healed enough, and the decision belongs with your urologist as part of your recovery plan. Providers also generally avoid shockwave for men with certain bleeding disorders or those on blood thinners, which are worth discussing given the surgical context, and over areas of active infection. A certified provider reviews your surgical history and current medications, and confirms with your care team that shockwave is a safe and appropriate addition before you begin.

How Shockwave Compares to Other Rehabilitation Options

Penile rehabilitation usually combines more than one tool, so these are less rivals than teammates. Here is how shockwave sits alongside the options your urologist may include.

Find a certified GAINSWave® provider near you.

Trained on verified protocols, screened for outcomes, vetted on the certification standard that separates the network from the open shockwave market.

Find a Provider

PDE5 Pills (Viagra and Cialis)

Pills like Viagra and Cialis are a standard part of rehabilitation, often started early to encourage blood flow to the penis while the nerves recover. They work on demand and are the usual first step. Their limit after surgery is that they rely on nerve signals that may not be fully back yet, so their effect can be muted early on. Shockwave works on the blood supply itself rather than on demand, which is why it is used as a complement to pills within a plan rather than a replacement for them.

Vacuum Erection Devices

A vacuum erection device draws blood into the penis, and it is one of the most common rehabilitation tools because it keeps the tissue conditioned even before natural erections return. Used regularly, it helps preserve length and tissue health during recovery. It is a mechanical, on-demand device used on a schedule. Shockwave takes a different angle, aiming to support the underlying vascular health, and the two are often used together as part of the same rehabilitation program.

Injections and Implants

Injections deliver medication that produces an erection directly, without relying on nerve signals, which makes them effective during recovery when other options fall short, and they are a common rehabilitation step. A penile implant is a definitive surgical option reserved for men whose function does not recover after rehabilitation has been given time. Both sit further along the path than shockwave, which is non-invasive and used earlier to support recovery. Where they fit depends on how your recovery progresses, which your urologist tracks over time.

Is Shockwave Therapy Right for Your Recovery?

Shockwave therapy may be a good fit if you are working through erectile recovery after prostatectomy and want to add a non-invasive way to support the blood-flow side of healing. It tends to suit men whose surgery spared the nerves, since that is where the potential for natural recovery is greatest, and men who are already following a rehabilitation plan and want to give it a stronger physical foundation. Its role is more limited where nerves could not be spared, and it is not a substitute for the plan your urologist sets. If your erectile difficulty is not related to prostate surgery, our erectile dysfunction page covers that more directly. The most important step is a coordinated one. A certified GAINSWave® provider reviews your surgical details and your recovery stage, works with your urologist's guidance, and tells you honestly whether shockwave fits your recovery, when to start, and what to expect, or whether another step should come first.

FAQs About Shockwave Therapy After Prostatectomy

How does removing the prostate affect a man?

Post-prostatectomy, the most common effects are on urinary control and erections, because the nerves and blood vessels involved in both run close to the prostate. Erectile difficulty is expected after surgery, even when nerves are spared, and it often improves over months as the nerves recover. Recovery varies a lot from man to man depending on the surgery, age, and function beforehand, which is why a rehabilitation plan is standard.

Do nerves grow back after prostate surgery?

The nerves involved in erections are not cut in a nerve-sparing procedure but are bruised and stunned, and they recover slowly, often over one to two years. That gradual recovery is the whole reason for penile rehabilitation: keeping the tissue and blood flow healthy during that window so the physical foundation is intact when nerve function returns. Where nerves could not be spared, recovery is more limited, and your surgeon can explain what applies to your case.

When to start penile rehab after prostatectomy?

How long does penile rehabilitation take?

What are the exercises for penile rehabilitation?

Rehabilitation is broader than exercises, but pelvic floor training is a common part of it and can help with both erectile function and urinary control after surgery. Beyond that, the plan typically combines tools like PDE5 pills, a vacuum erection device, and sometimes injections, chosen and sequenced by your urologist. Shockwave therapy can be added to support the blood-flow side of that program.

What is shockwave therapy after prostate surgery?

Do urologists use shockwave therapy?

Shockwave therapy for erectile function has a growing evidence base, and it is offered through trained providers, with research specifically looking at its use after prostatectomy. Practice varies, and not every urologist includes it, so the right approach is to discuss it with your surgical team and have a certified provider coordinate with them. That keeps it aligned with the rest of your recovery plan.

Who should avoid shockwave therapy?

It is generally avoided for men with certain bleeding disorders or those on blood thinners, which matter in the surgical context, over areas of active infection, and before a surgeon has confirmed you have healed enough to begin. Anyone still early in recovery should treat timing as a decision for their urologist. A certified provider screens for these and confirms appropriateness with your care team first.

Is there a downside to shockwave therapy?

The main downsides are minor: brief soreness or redness after a session, and the fact that it takes a course of sessions rather than working at once. The larger point after prostatectomy is that it is a supporting tool, not a cure for surgery-related erectile difficulty, and its benefit depends on your nerve-sparing status and recovery. Honest expectations, set with your provider and urologist, are part of using it well.

Receive GAINSWave ® Treatment Near You

Locate a provider in your area who has GAINSWave® training.

Find a Provider

GAINSWave® is a clinically proven therapy that uses high-frequency, low-intensity sound waves to activate the body’s natural healing processes.

Services

Provider Log In

Company