Written by the clinical team at The Oast Osteopathy, with clinics in Sittingbourne and Sheerness.
Tendon pain has a particular stubbornness to it.
It doesn't tend to arrive dramatically. It builds. A twinge becomes a niggle, becomes something you work around, becomes "this has been here for a year".
By the time most people come in, they've already tried rest, stretches, probably ice, and possibly a round or two of physio. If any of that had worked, they wouldn't be sitting in front of us.
This is often the point where shockwave therapy becomes the right call.
What it works well for
The strongest clinical evidence for shockwave sits around tendon problems that haven't responded to standard treatment. The ones we see most at our Sittingbourne clinic:
Achilles tendinopathy. Runners especially, but anyone whose calves work hard.
Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow. Anyone who grips for a living, plus actual tennis players and golfers.
Patellar tendinopathy, also known as jumper's knee. Stair climbers and cyclists get it too.
Rotator cuff and shoulder tendinopathy. The ones you've been told are "just inflamed" for six months.
Greater trochanteric pain syndrome. Pain on the side of the hip, often worse lying on it.
If your tendon pain has been there for more than three months and nothing's shifted it, shockwave is worth a conversation.
Why tendon pain is so stubborn
When a tendon is irritated or damaged, it goes through a specific healing process. For a lot of people, that process gets stuck. The tissue isn't quite healing, isn't quite sorting itself out, and isn't quite doing what the body usually gets on with on its own.
Rest doesn't fix it because the problem isn't inflammation anymore. It's degeneration. Stretching can sometimes make it worse. Normal osteopathy and physio occasionally stalls because the underlying tissue needs more than it's being given.
Shockwave does something different. It uses acoustic waves to physically disrupt the stuck tissue and restart the healing process your body had given up on.
What a course actually looks like
Three to six sessions, around a week apart.
Each one takes 15 to 20 minutes. There's gel, there's an applicator, and there's a fair bit of firm tapping on the sore spot. It's briefly uncomfortable. Nobody loves it in the moment. Most people find it manageable.
Then you walk out and carry on with your day. No bandage, no downtime, no restriction on normal activity.
You start noticing changes in the first two or three sessions. The full healing response builds over the six to twelve weeks after your final appointment, so results keep developing once treatment has finished.
Around 70 to 80% of patients with chronic tendon pain see meaningful improvement by the end.
When it isn't the answer
It's not the first thing we reach for. If your pain is new, or hasn't been given a proper chance to respond to simpler approaches, we usually start there.
It's not suitable in some cases either. Pregnancy, certain medications, pacemakers depending on treatment location, a recent steroid injection in the same area. We screen for all of that at the first appointment.
And occasionally, we try it and it doesn't work. If you've had four sessions and nothing's shifted, we'll stop and think again rather than keep booking you in.
When to book
You've tried rest. You've tried stretching. You've tried physio. You've done the home exercises. You've bought the shoes, the strap, the brace.
And the tendon is still there, still telling you about it.
That's when the conversation becomes a useful one.
Book a shockwave consultation at our Sittingbourne clinic
Frequently asked questions
Does shockwave hurt?
Briefly, yes. The sessions themselves are uncomfortable rather than painful, and the discomfort stops within seconds of the applicator being lifted. Mild soreness for 24 to 48 hours afterwards is normal.
Can I run or train during a shockwave course?
Usually. We'll give you guidance based on what you're being treated for. Light activity is often fine. Heavy training sessions aren't.
How is it different from an injection?
Injections, usually steroid, reduce inflammation in the short term but don't address the underlying tissue. Shockwave stimulates actual healing. Different tools for different problems, and in a lot of chronic tendon cases, shockwave now gets the preference because it treats the cause rather than masking the symptom.
Do I need a GP referral?
No. You can book directly with us at Sittingbourne.
