Effects of Shockwave Therapy Versus Radiofrequency

With the increasing awareness of the population regarding the high rate of obesity and the number of deaths per year as a result of being overweight, treatments for reducing measures are increasingly sought. The evidence shows that the accumulation of fat located in the abdominal region is a risk factor for dyslipidemia and arterial hypertension, and a reduction in waist circumference can reduce the potential risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition to this concern, with the aging of the population and changes in body dimensions due to pregnancy or to a weight loss process, body flaccidity is also a growing cosmetic complaint, and the result is a less firm and pending skin. Physical exercise is a very important agent for combating excess weight, with special attention to aerobic physical exercise, which is able to decrease body fat tissue and increase the oxidation of fatty acids by 5 to 10 times more than in resting state. The evidence points out that the exercise prescription to decrease fat mass should focus on a high volume of training (30 to 60 minutes) with moderate intensity (40 to 60% of Heart Rate Reserve), performed regularly and mobilizing large muscle groups. In order to combat abdominal adiposity, as well as the flaccidity of the region, radiofrequency is presented as a possible complementary strategy. Radiofrequency is an electromagnetic wave that when applied to skin, generates oscillating magnetic fields that move electrically charged particles producing heat in the tissues. The amount of heat produced is dependent on resistance. Shock wave therapy consists of the application of high energy acoustic waves whose main characteristic is the production of a high pressure pulse induced in a short period of time. This will generate mechanical pressure waves in the tissues, promoting cavitation, with the formation of gas bubbles in the intervening fluids and an increase in local temperature. The main objective of this study is to compare the effect of 6 sessions of shock wave therapy versus radiofrequency followed by a protocol of moderate aerobic exercise, in the reduction of adiposity and abdominal flaccidity, in females between 18 and 60 years old. As a secondary objective, it is intended to understand the mechanism of fat mobilization by these two therapies.