How to Treat a Tendon Injury With Tenex Tenotomy

Tendon injuries are very common. In fact, in the US, 33 million musculoskeletal injuries are reported each year, 50% of which involve tendon and ligament injuries. It’s no surprise that patients wonder how to treat a tendon injury. Unfortunately, tendon injuries can affect any person at any age and any fitness level. In addition to this, typical surgical treatments often fail to provide patients with fully restored tendon function.

Is there a better option for treating tendon pain and injuries? At the Center for Sports Medicine and Wellness, we believe that the answer is yes. With a minimally invasive treatment option known as Tenex Tenotomy, patients of all fitness levels can restore their mobility and get back to enjoying an active lifestyle. Keep reading to learn more about the most common tendon pain and injuries and Tenex Tenotomy.

Tendon Injuries

We’re all probably familiar with tendons, but we may not know the details of their anatomy and mechanics. Before discussing how to treat a tendon injury with Tenex Tenotomy, we’ll discuss the basics of tendons.

Tendons allow our joints to move by connecting muscles to bones. Without them, we wouldn’t have mobility in our limbs. Tendons also absorb some of the impact and stress placed on muscles during physical activity like running and jumping, which helps prevent muscle injuries. Unfortunately, as we get older, our tendons typically degenerate, which often leads to tendon injuries. Tendons that don’t function optimally may also be less effective in taking on stress from muscles, potentially leading to muscle injuries and other issues as well.

Some tendons are more prone to injury and degeneration than others, however. Based on clinical observations, experts have found that the tendons most likely to develop injuries are:

  • Rotator cuff
  • Forearm extensors
  • Achilles tendon
  • Tibialis posterior
  • Patellar tendons

Keep in mind that tendon injuries can affect anyone, regardless of their fitness level. Tendon injuries are seen in people that are highly physically active, moderately active, and even sedentary.   

So what are the most common causes of these injuries? Participation in sports is a common cause, along with body weight, nutrition, and age. As mentioned earlier, tendons can become prone to degeneration as you age, which makes the likelihood of a tendon injury greater as you get older.

The Most Common Tendon Injuries

There are many conditions that can affect tendons, but the following are some of the most common and are conditions we typically treat in our practice.

  • Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction: This tendon connects the calf muscle to the bones on the inside of the foot and allows you to walk. It supports your foot and can easily become inflamed because of injury or overuse.
  • Rotator Cuff Tears: This is an injury caused by the shoulder tendons becoming partially or fully detached from the upper part of the arm bone (humerus). Rotator cuff tears are usually caused by injury or overuse. 
  • Tendinosis: Tendinosis is a chronic condition caused by overuse. It develops when the collagen that tendons are made of deteriorates. It commonly occurs in the elbow, heel, knee, shoulder, and wrist.
  • Strains: A tendon strain is when you tear, twist, or pull a tendon. It most often occurs in the arms and legs.
  • Tendonitis/Tendinitis: When a tendon becomes inflamed because of repetitive movement, overuse, or aging, it’s known as tendonitis. This condition typically affects the Achilles, elbow, knee, hip, shoulder, and thumb. There are also many forms of tendonitis, such as patellar tendonitis and rotator cuff tendonitis, which affect the knee and shoulder.
  • Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis): As is implied by the name, this injury usually develops in tennis players, but it isn’t exclusive to them. It occurs when the tendons in the outside part of the elbow develop microscopic tears that cause degeneration over time. It is usually caused by overuse.

Tenex Tenotomy: How to Treat a Tendon Injury

If you’ve developed any of the conditions we’ve just described, the question on your mind is most likely how to treat a tendon injury. When conservative methods fail to provide relief for a tendon condition, surgery is usually recommended. Unfortunately, this typically requires a lengthy rehabilitation period, especially for older patients. In addition to this, surgical treatments often fail to restore patients’ full tendon function and mobility.

This is why at the Center for Sports Medicine and Wellness, we’ve chosen to treat patients with Tenex Tenotomy. This procedure, developed in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, uses minimally invasive technology to perform a percutaneous tenotomy or fasciotomy. More than 20 published studies have shown that when Tenex technology is used to treat tendonitis, patients experienced improved functionality and a significant decrease in their pain.

Wondering how Tenex Tenotomy heals tendon injuries? Tenex’s patented technology pinpoints and removes damaged tissue, which is the source of tendon pain and helps stimulate a renewed healing response. This is a precise option for healing tendon pain that does not require open surgery or a lengthy treatment plan. This procedure is performed using local anesthesia, requires a microincision that is only 3mm, and greatly reduces the risk of infection.

Because this is a minimally invasive procedure that only treats the damaged tendon tissue, patients that undergo Tenex Tenotomy can recover as quickly as 4-6 weeks, and no stitches are required.

Get Minimally Invasive Treatment for Tendon Injuries in Glen Mills, PA

Our team at the Center for Sports Medicine and Wellness is proud to be experts in the most advanced minimally invasive treatments for our patients. This is why we’ve chosen to add Tenex Tenotomy to our treatment options for patients suffering from tendon pain and injuries.

We understand that our patients’ top priority is to successfully recover from their conditions while getting back to their lives or their sports as quickly as possible. We’re proud to provide the most advanced options that allow our patients to restore their mobility without a lengthy recovery period.

 If you’d like to learn more about our services or contact us to schedule a consultation, please call our office in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, at (610) 459-4200 or fill out our form. We welcome your inquiry and we look forward to helping you get back to the game of life!

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