James came to visit me in the middle of 2024 complaining of a painful lump in his Achilles tendon that just would not go away.
It had come about as the result of a sprain a year earlier, where the tendon had ripped spontaneously during a busy day at work. James is a cake maker, a business that can get extremely busy during the summer months. When this happens, James is on his feet all day making sure that our desire for something sweet and delicious with our tea or coffee is satisfied.
Being on his feet for 12 hours at a time, the last thing he needed was a painful ankle. Although his original injury had healed well, the amount of scar tissue meant that the tendon was not functioning well. Just going about his everyday business left the injured area red and swollen, and the pain was causing him to limp.
When I first examined the back of his ankle, I found a soft lump, about an inch in diameter, that was quite apparent to the naked eye.
Based on past experience I was confident that shockwave therapy was the right approach. I predicted that a series of 6 treatments would be enough to reduce the lump significantly and set his body on a path to reabsorbing the majority of the offending scar tissue.
James readily agreed to try it. It took three treatments for the change to become noticeable, but by the third week, the lump was about 25% reduced, and James noticed much less pain. Most significantly, the tendency of the lump to become inflamed had almost stopped, making James’s days much more comfortable.
By the end of the 6th week, the lump was less than half the size it was at the start of the treatment, and James was virtually pain-free 24/7.
I scheduled him for a check-up 3 months later to see how the effect had continued. At that time James left a message to tell me that he was so much better, he didn’t see the need to come in. This was great news, not just for James, but for all the thousands of people who continue to enjoy his excellent cakes across the county.
