Suffering from a long-term sports injury or RSI can be a frustrating experience that can mean months of physiotherapy or even an operation.

However, a new machine has arrived in the UK which can speed up recovery without the need to go under the knife. Siobhan Ryan reports.

For some there is nothing worse than a nagging injury that just won't go away.

They've been through hours of physiotherapy and seen countless specialists but still the tendons around the shoulder are sore, making it stiff and uncomfortable.

There's even talk of having an operation to deal with the problem but this will mean a long and possibly painful recovery.

Now there is a new specialist machine in Sussex that can help people who have long term sports injuries or who suffer from Repetitive Strain Injury.

The Swiss-made ReflecTron machine is the only one of its kind in the country and is used by specialists at The Drive Osteopathic and Sports Injury Clinic in Hove and the Oving Clinic near Chichester. The machine works by delivering high-energy shockwaves and has a 70 to 90 per cent success rate.

It helps heal tennis and golfers elbow, achilles tendon problems and removes calcifications in shoulder tendons. It also encourages new bone growth in slow-healing fractures.

Shockwave therapy as a medication application was originally developed as a way of pulverising kidney stones.

Since 1991, Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)has been employed as an alternative to surgery in treating calcified shoulders and other aches and pains of the bones and tendons. The distinctive and unusual looking large green machine generates high energy pulses which are transmitted to the body through a plastic membrane.

The end of the machine, which looks like a large microphone, is pressed directly on to the patient's skin where the problem is. The waves first pass through the skin and the layers of tissue underneath and penetrate the body to various depths.

The way in which the machine works is still not fully understood although specialists say it involves vibrating the tissues which leads to increased blood flow which, in turn, encourages the production of cells and the regeneration of tissue. The machine also appears to have a stimulating effect on the osteoblast, the cells that promote new growth in the bone.

The treatment is also accompanied by a loud clicking noise as each pulse is propelled into the body. Musculoskeletal and orthopaedic physician Usamah Jannoun says the patient can feel a little pain so a local anaesthetic is offered.

He says: "We have had the machine for about eight months and the results have been very satisfying. We treated one person who had severe problems with his shoulder but after only two sessions the problems had disappeared.

"It is fast becoming a popular method although we stress it is not suitable for everyone. When people contact us we assess the nature of their condition and see whether we believe the machine will work for them.

"Sometimes it may be that the injury or problem they have will not be helped by using this method and we may have to give them an alternative. "We are not putting this forward as a miracle cure for all problems, as it isn't.

"However,it is clear that in a lot of cases it is extremely effective and saves people having to carry on with physiotherapy or have an operation."

The machine, which costs about £50,000, is not available on the NHS but doctors say it could be useful as a long-term investment as it could lead to fewer physiotherapy, osteopathy and acupuncture sessions or operations.

1/3 FOR more details about the machine call The Drive Clinic on 01273 203820 or the Oving Clinic on 01243 773167.