Treatment Options
What If Physical Therapy Hasn't Worked?
This is one of the most common situations we hear about — a real effort at physical therapy, and pain that's still there.
This Doesn't Mean Physical Therapy Failed You
Exercise-based rehabilitation genuinely helps a large share of patients with tendinopathy — but not everyone, and not always on the first attempt. Consistency, exercise selection, and enough total load over enough time all affect outcomes, and some tendons simply respond more slowly than others.
What's Worth Checking First
- Was the diagnosis confirmed, or was the program based on assumed symptoms?
- Was the program specific to your condition (for example, a heavy-slow-resistance or eccentric protocol for tendinopathy), or more general?
- Was there enough time and consistency for a fair trial — tendon changes often take longer than most people expect?
Where Shockwave Therapy Fits
Shockwave therapy is frequently considered specifically for patients who haven't fully improved with an exercise program alone — and in most research protocols, it's added to continued exercise rather than used instead of it. Explore Shockwave Therapy and your specific condition page for the evidence.
Getting a Second, Focused Look
If your symptoms have persisted despite a genuine effort at physical therapy, a focused re-evaluation is a reasonable next step — to confirm the diagnosis, assess your response so far, and discuss whether adding shockwave therapy makes sense for you.
New Patient Exam + First Treatment — $99
First treatment provided when clinically appropriate following your examination.