Tendinopathy
Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elbow, golfer's elbow), wrist, hip, knee (jumper's knee, popliteus tendinopathy), or ankle (Achilles tendinitis).
| Tendinopathy | |
|---|---|
| Other names | tendinosus |
| Achilles tendon (a commonly affected tendon) | |
| Specialty | Primary care |
| Symptoms | Pain, swelling |
| Causes | Injury, repetitive activities |
| Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms, examination, medical imaging |
| Treatment | Rest, NSAIDs, splinting, physiotherapy |
| Prognosis | 80% better within 6 months |
| Frequency | Common |
Causes may include an injury or repetitive activities. Less common causes include infection, arthritis, gout, thyroid disease, diabetes and the use of quinolone antibiotic medicines. Groups at risk include people who do manual labor, musicians, and athletes. Diagnosis is typically based on symptoms, examination, and occasionally medical imaging. A few weeks following an injury little inflammation remains, with the underlying problem related to weak or disrupted tendon fibrils.
Treatment may include rest, NSAIDs, splinting, and physiotherapy. Less commonly steroid injections or surgery may be done. About 80% of patients recover completely within six months. Tendinopathy is relatively common. Older people are more commonly affected. It results in a large amount of missed work.