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How to get more tendinitis patients: a plan for orthopedic and sports medicine practices

The front desk of an orthopedic and sports medicine practice seen from the waiting area

Adults call about pain and tenderness near a joint in the elbow, heel, knee, shoulder, thumb or wrist, often worse when they move. This guide covers new visit requests, tendon pain calls and follow-up visits in orthopedic, sports medicine, hand and physical medicine practices; Achilles tendinitis, De Quervain tendinitis, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, shoulder pain, rotator cuff and bursitis have their own guides. The orthopedic or sports medicine clinician or treating clinician (the clinician below) evaluates the patient and decides the plan, including whether and which treatment is needed.

In short

  • Speak to adults with tendon pain in their own words, without fear.
  • Keep landing pages simple: what people notice, the visit, the clinician, the price, one way to book.
  • Book the visit with a short script that never names a condition, a cause or a treatment.
  • Relay the MedlinePlus line word for word, then tell the clinical team.
  • Follow up with consent, without pressure, and track each request.
  1. SearchAn adult looks for care near them.
  2. Your pageWhat you treat, who sees them, one way to book.
  3. Call or formThey call or send a request.
  4. Front deskBooks the visit and never guesses a cause.
  5. Clinical teamThe clinician decides the plan.
How a new patient request reaches your practice.

1. Who the patients are and what they search for

Callers are adults 18 or over, of any sex. Some have a sore elbow or wrist; some have a stiff shoulder, knee or heel. They search for tendinitis, tendonitis, tendon pain, a sore joint, or an orthopedic or sports medicine doctor near them. Use the same words on your pages.

The MedlinePlus Tendinitis page lists main symptoms such as “Pain and tenderness along a tendon, usually near a joint”, “Pain that is worse with movement or activity” and “Stiffness in the morning”. Only the clinician can say what is behind tendon pain. Staff never say a caller has tendinitis, a tear or any named condition, and never guess a cause.

Aim ads at adults only. Never target by sex, age band, job, hobby, sport or any health condition, and never build audiences from health information.

2. Landing page basics

Care starts with a visit. The page sells the visit, not a result, and never hints at what is behind the pain.

  • Name what people notice, in their own words: a sore elbow, wrist, thumb, shoulder, knee or heel, pain when moving, stiffness in the morning.
  • Give the clinician’s name and real credentials.
  • Give a starting price and what it includes. Self-pay patients may be entitled to a good faith estimate.
  • Show one way to book.

Never use fear, never list causes, never blame a patient’s job, hobbies or age, never name a treatment, and never promise any outcome. Avoid “end your tendon pain”, “back in the game fast”, “move freely again”, “risk-free” and “insurance will cover it”. Better: “the clinician will examine you, ask about your symptoms and talk through the options with you”.

3. The phone script

Staff never judge urgency, never say what condition a caller has and never name a treatment; they collect answers and book.

  1. “Thanks for calling. May I take your name, your age and the reason for your visit?”
  2. “Where is the pain, when did it start, and did a doctor refer you? Please bring a list of your medicines and any notes from earlier care.”
  3. “The visit starts at [price]. Further care may be extra. We will check your plan, but cannot promise coverage.”
  4. Is it tendinitis or is it torn, which treatment do I need, will it work, and do I need a shot or surgery? “We cannot tell that on the phone. The clinician will examine you, ask about your symptoms and decide with you what the options are.”
  5. “I can book your visit now. May we text or email you about it?”

Book adults only. Pass any caller under 18, and any question on medicines, home steps, work or activity, to the clinical team. Staff never comment on another doctor’s advice. See the new patient phone script.

4. Routing and safety lines

Under When to Contact a Medical Professional, MedlinePlus gives no list, only one sentence. It is quoted whole, exactly as MedlinePlus writes it.

It says: “Contact your provider if symptoms of tendinitis occur.”

These are the source’s words, not front desk advice, and they do not say what a caller has. If a caller reports pain, tenderness or stiffness near a joint, or asks whether they should be seen, read that line word for word, then tell the clinical team at once. Booking the visit is that contact; staff never name a condition.

Staff add no words of their own about urgency or causes, never suggest a step to try at home and never tell a caller to stop, keep or change a medicine. Any other report that worries a caller goes to the clinical team right away.

Make follow-up visits easy to book; the clinician decides what each visit covers and how often to see the patient.

Text or email only with the patient’s own contact details and consent; see texting patients and the TCPA. Follow up without pressure (see consultation to treatment), never pay or take payment for referrals (see patient referrals for medical practices), and track each request from first contact to visit.

Where MediLeadGen fits

MediLeadGen sends practices requests from people interested in cash-pay elective treatments. Each request goes to one practice only, with the person’s consent naming that practice, at a fixed price per delivered request.

See how it works for practices

Questions practices ask

How do we get more tendinitis patients?

Answer quickly, give clear prices and real credentials, keep claims inside the sources, and book a visit where the clinician decides the plan.

Can we tell callers whether they have tendinitis, or which treatment they need?

No. The orthopedic or sports medicine clinician or treating clinician examines the patient and decides the plan after the visit, including whether and which treatment is needed.

What should the front desk do when a call sounds urgent?

Relay the MedlinePlus line from section 4, word for word, then tell the clinical team right away. Staff never judge urgency and never say what condition a caller has.

Does insurance cover care for tendinitis?

Coverage varies by plan. Check each patient’s plan, and do not promise coverage in ads or on the phone.

General information for practice teams, not legal or clinical advice. Check device labeling, FDA requirements, state rules and your advertising with counsel and your clinicians. Last reviewed October 2026.

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