The Colombian Society of Shock Waves in Medicine was established in 2003 as the Colombia Chapter of the International Society for Medical Shockwave Treatments (ISMST). At that time, with only four members and a couple of years of experience, we began working on introducing tissue regeneration technology through mechanotransduction in our country. Despite being a small group, we developed the first research projects, international publications, and presentations at global congresses. Colombia has been at the forefront of shock wave development worldwide. The first contacts with this technology were made during Dr. Werner Siebert’s visit in 1998 to a medical congress in Colombia, where he demonstrated the use of shock waves in tendinopathies at his university center in Kiel, Germany. Several orthopedists expressed interest in the technology, trained in Europe, and sought to initiate shock wave treatments in Colombia. In Colombia, the first use of shock waves in bone pathology with a renal lithotripter was performed by Dr. Mauricio Palacio in Medellín in 1998. His positive results in nearly half of his patients encouraged him to continue seeking equipment and technology. The Orthopedics group at Universidad El Bosque in Bogotá, after training in Germany, brought the first specific shock wave device for orthopedic use to Colombia. On August 9, 2000, Dr. Carlos Leal treated the first patient in Colombia and Latin America with an orthopedic device for bilateral tibial pseudoarthrosis using focused high-energy shock waves at the Clínica Universitaria El Bosque in Bogotá. The results were very satisfactory, with proper consolidation in both tibias, marking the beginning of a process of growth and development for the technology. The Universidad El Bosque group established Colombia’s first shock wave center at their Clínica Universitaria and began treating patients and reporting results. They initiated research lines in delayed bone union, tendinopathies, osteochondritis dissecans, and stress fractures. Within just a year, the positive results enabled them to present and publish their findings in the journal of the Colombian Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology (SCCOT) and to present their work at international shock wave meetings.

In 2002, Colombia and Brazil represented Latin America for the first time at a global congress of the ISMST. We were proud to see that our results were similar to those of European and Asian groups, beginning our inclusion in the global shock wave landscape. In 2003, during the ISMST world congress in Orlando, USA, orthopedists from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Chile, who had experienced similar developments in their countries, met. They all shared that the technology was effective but poorly received by the medical community. The Latin American Society of Shock Waves (ONLAT) was formed, representing Spanish-speaking countries under ISMST guidelines. Colombia thus began its participation as a co-founder of ONLAT, with Dr. Carlos Leal serving as its first president. The OCC’s mission was to develop the technology in the country, engage more specialists, include shock waves in the national health system, and attract industry to our country. By the first decade of this century, six global shock wave companies were already represented in Colombia, and several specialists trained and acquired equipment.

In 2010, the first national congress on shock waves was held in Bogotá, generating growing interest regionally and internationally. In the past decade, shock waves were seen by our colleagues as a hidden science of alternative medicine, facing ongoing rejection from most specialists. However, the positioning of the technology in orthopedics and sports medicine worldwide, alongside the excellent results obtained in the few shock wave centers in Colombia, opened the path toward general acceptance by doctors, institutions, and health insurance providers. We grew internationally more than nationally, participating in board positions and editorial and scientific committees of the Ibero-American and World Shock Wave Societies. Colombia has been consistently represented on the ISMST board since 2003. In 2011, we held the first national congress on shock waves at Hotel La Fontana in Bogotá, featuring international guest Dr. John Furia from Lewisburg, USA. That same year, Dr. Carlos Leal was appointed president of the ISMST and organized one of the best global congresses on shock waves in Cartagena in June 2012. The ISMST congress in Cartagena significantly increased interest in shock waves in Colombia, leading to efforts to establish a certified national medical society with over 50 members. This gathering marked the formal organization of the OCC.

From 2011 to the present, we have held an annual national congress and an international certification course endorsed by the ISMST. We have convened in Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, Pereira, and Bucaramanga with successful attendance and industry participation. We have invited all past ISMST presidents, board instructors, and key international figures in the technology, boasting the most significant academic record of any national shock wave society globally. Colombia has grown so much in shock waves that it is the Latin American country with the most commercial presence of shock wave equipment manufacturers and the highest number of certified medical centers. In 2021, ONLAT separated from the ISMST, and the OCC continued its academic mission under the guidelines and endorsements of the official global shock wave society, adhering to strict scientific and ethical principles.

In 2023, ISMST-LATAM was established to provide academic support and scientific endorsement for shock wave therapy in Latin America, where ISMST has maintained a presence for over 20 years, with direct ties through ISMST Ambassadors in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil. ISMST-LATAM conducts national congresses and official international certification courses in Latin America and coordinates and supports clinical and basic research initiatives before the ISMST. In 2025, we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of shock waves in medicine in Latin America, honoring the two pioneers who treated the first patients on the continent in 2000: Dr. José Eid from São Paulo, Brazil, current ISMST Secretary General, and Dr. Carlos Leal from Bogotá, Colombia, current ISMST Scientific Secretary. Colombia will once again host a global congress on shock waves in medicine from September 17-21, 2025, at the Hyatt Hotel in Bogotá. It promises to be an unforgettable celebration with an international congress featuring the world’s leading experts. The OCC is headquartered in Bogotá, supporting research in shock waves and developing management guidelines for the proper application of mechanotransduction technologies. We provide scientific support to health insurance companies and governmental entities as needed, assisting our members in the appropriate use of shock waves in medicine. We endorse the equipment available in the country and certify its international suitability to users and health entities. We organize instructional events, certification courses, and congresses following ISMST standards.