TENDINOSIS - MINIMALLY INVASIVE TREATMENT OF TENDONS
 

Tendons are rope-like bands of tissue attaching muscle to bone.  When the muscles move in unusual ways or are overused, the tendons can be damaged.  Tendon overuse injury, or tendinosis, is a common orthopedic complaint.  This condition afflicts a diverse population, including professional and recreational athletes as well as non-athletes who perform repetitive-type tasks in their workplace. Tendons most frequently affected by overuse are those of the elbow, shoulder and knee.   Although these injuries may seem insignificant, in fact, they disable a large number of people every year.  Several different conservative care treatments are currently accepted for treating tendinosis.  They include:

A small percentage of patients fail with these measures and are left considering invasive tendon surgery that could involve significant recovery time.  A new strategy for effectively and easily managing the patient with tendinosis is the use of radio-frequency.  This procedure induces an angiogenitic response in order to promote healing of the injured tendon tissue.  (See article on Radiofrequency-Based Micro-Tenotomy for Treating Chronic Tendinosis.)

THE PROCEDURE

1.  The physician will identify and mark the area where the tendon is damaged, while the patient is alert.

2.  Patient is put in the appropriate position and given mild sedation.

3.  A small incision, about 1-1/4 inch, is made over the marked area.  The tendon is exposed.

4.  The tip of the device is placed perpendicular to the tendon and activated with light pressure.  Tendon thickness will vary, so the perforations into the tendon will will also vary from 3mm to 5mm.

5.  The tendon is treated and irrigated.  It is closed with appropriate closures and a sterile dressing is applied.


 

POST OPERATIVE CARE

  • First 2 Days
    - Ice and Rest.
     
  • First 7-10 Days
    - Passive and active range of motion exercises.
     
  • 1-2 Months
    - No sports or heavy lifting.
    - Daily routine at home.
    - Work is at the discretion of your physician.
     
  • 2-3 Months
    - Sports and heavy lifting at the discretion of your physician.

Don't let your tendons keep YOU on the SIDELINE!
Contact Dr. Rogerson at (608) 231-3410

 

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3/1/2006

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