TENDINOSIS

Course overview

TENDON INJURIES PLAGUE A WIDE VARIETY OF PATIENTS, RANGING FROM VIGOROUS ATHLETES TO NON-ATHLETES. DIFFERENT SPORTS AND OCCUPATIONS EXPOSE PATIENTS TO INCREASED RISK FOR CERTAIN TENDINOPATHIES. TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITION HAVE CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS. TENDINOPATHY IS AN UMBRELLA TERM USED TO DESCRIBE TENDON PAIN WITHOUT KNOWING THE SPECIFIC PATHOLOGY. TENDINITIS, BY DEFINITION, IMPLIES THAT AN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE ACCOMPANIES TENDON INJURY. IN REVIEWING AVAILABLE HISTOPATHOLOGY STUDIES THAT COMPARE HEALTHY TENDONS TO INJURED (SYMPTOMATIC) ONES, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THESE INJURED TENDONS APPEAR TO BE IN A DEGENERATIVE STATE WITH FEW OR NO INFLAMMATORY CELLS. TENDINOSIS MORE APPROPRIATELY DEFINES THIS PROCESS. THIS ACTIVITY WILL REVIEW THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF TENDINOSIS, EXAMINE THE TREATMENT APPROACH ACCORDING TO CURRENT EVIDENCE, AND OUTLINE THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM'S ROLE IN RECOGNIZING AND TREATING TENDONITIS.