- 167 Lower main road - Observatory - Cape Town
- Blueberry Office Park, B12, Apple Street - Honeydew - Randburg - Johannesburg
Peyronie’s disease can change much more than the shape of an erection. Pain, curvature, shortening or indentation can affect intimacy, confidence and the way you feel about yourself. If this is happening to you, you are not alone—and you do not have to navigate it without support.
At Shockwave Clinic, we take time to understand when your symptoms began, whether they are still changing, how your erections are affected and what you want treatment to achieve. Our Cape Town and Johannesburg teams provide private, patient-specific assessment and a non-surgical programme that can combine focused shockwave therapy with complementary technologies and medical oversight.
Peyronie’s disease develops when fibrous scar tissue, called plaque, forms in the tunica albuginea of the penis. Because the plaque does not stretch like healthy tissue, the penis may bend or change shape during an erection.
Common symptoms include:
Peyronie’s disease usually has an active phase and a stable phase. During the active phase, pain or curvature may still be changing. During the stable phase, pain often reduces and the deformity has generally stopped progressing. Your phase, degree of curvature, erection quality and the effect on intercourse all help us decide what support may be appropriate.
Please arrange an assessment if you notice a new curve, lump, painful erection, indentation, shortening, reduced erection quality or difficulty with intercourse. Earlier assessment gives us a clearer starting point and helps identify whether monitoring, pain management, traction, erectile-function support, injections or urological assessment should be considered.
Peyronie’s is a physical medical condition. It is not contagious, it is not cancer, and it is nothing to be ashamed of.
Shockwave Clinic uses the STORZ Medical DUOLITH SD1 with its focused C-ACTOR applicator and dedicated urology protocols. Unlike broad radial pressure waves, focused acoustic energy can be directed accurately at selected plaque and surrounding tissue.
ESWT delivers controlled acoustic energy. For Peyronie’s disease, the best-supported use is relief of penile pain in the active phase. The EAU guideline does not recommend ESWT to correct curvature. It has not been proven to break up plaque or reliably soften it, even when other treatments are added.
We may consider focused ESWT for suitable men whose pain or erectile function needs attention, while discussing other options for length and curvature. For men with vascular erectile dysfunction, randomised trials and the EAU ED guideline support a possible mild improvement in erection quality from low-intensity shockwave therapy. Results vary and this does not prove a straightening effect.
For a deeper review, read our Peyronie’s disease shockwave-therapy evidence guide.
Rather than relying on one treatment in isolation, we may combine five complementary steps around your assessment and goals:
Not every step is suitable for every man. Your plan is adjusted to your symptoms, health, phase of Peyronie’s disease and personal goals. EMTT is an emerging adjunct. No published ED trial has established whether adding EMTT improves outcomes beyond ESWT alone, and the full combined Peyronie’s protocol has not been tested in a controlled trial. We will explain these limits before treatment.
This protocol was developed through collaboration between a man living with Peyronie’s disease, doctors, shockwave practitioners and the founder of Shockwave Clinic. That patient perspective matters: it keeps the programme focused not only on measurements, but also on pain, erection quality, intimacy, confidence and day-to-day quality of life.
Several patients have reported meaningful improvements while following our combined programme, including changes in comfort, erection quality and curvature. These reports are encouraging and help us refine patient care, but they are clinic-observed experiences rather than results from a published controlled trial. Individual outcomes vary, and we will never guarantee a specific degree of change.
Our in-house GPs work closely with the shockwave practitioners, the founder and the patient. Where clinically indicated, they can arrange precautionary blood tests and consider cardiovascular, metabolic, hormonal and medication-related factors that may affect erection quality, healing or treatment suitability. If imaging, injections or surgery may be more appropriate, we explain why a urologist should be involved.
The clinic reports that 14 PulseVac prototypes have been used in its development programme for more than 24 months. PulseVac is planned for release in 2027 as a home-support device for men with erectile dysfunction or Peyronie’s disease, subject to completion of development, testing and applicable regulatory requirements, including planned RoHS compliance and CE marking. Men interested in future home use can pre-register through the Shockwave Clinic home page.
No single approach is right for every patient. We will discuss the options that fit your stage of disease, degree of deformity, pain, erection quality and priorities.
Your first visit begins with a private medical history and physical assessment. We discuss when symptoms began, whether pain or curvature is changing, erection quality, relevant medication and how the condition affects sexual activity.
The current Initial Assessment & Treatment fee is R5,450 once off and may include, where suitable:
Shockwave Clinic offers private consultations in Cape Town and Johannesburg. We will listen to what has changed, explain the options in plain language and build a plan around you.
This page provides general information and does not replace an individual medical diagnosis. Treatment suitability and outcomes vary.
Our most commonly asked questions
Current urology guidance allows shockwave therapy to be considered for penile pain during the active phase. It may be offered as supportive, non-surgical care, but it has not been shown to reliably remove plaque or correct curvature.
No reliable straightening effect has been demonstrated. Major urology guidance recommends against using shockwave therapy to reduce curvature or plaque size. Traction, selected injection therapy or surgery may be more appropriate depending on the phase and severity.
PRP has been explored in small studies, but protocols and results vary. It is not an established standard treatment for removing plaque or correcting curvature, and a specific result should not be promised.
Referral is appropriate when the diagnosis is uncertain, curvature is severe or progressing, penetration is difficult, erectile dysfunction is significant, or you may need diagnostic imaging, intralesional treatment or surgery.
No treatment can guarantee a permanent result. Peyronie’s disease may stabilise, remain bothersome or change over time. The best option depends on pain, disease phase, deformity, erection quality and personal goals.
The first visit reviews when symptoms began, whether pain or curvature is changing, erection quality, relevant medication and medical history. A physical assessment helps determine realistic options and whether medical testing or urological referral is needed.
