Tendinopathy Clinic at the OrthTeam Centre

Tendinopathy is the general term for a range of medical conditions in and around tendons, usually arising from ‘overuse’ injuries and which are often accompanied by pain, weakness, inflammation or stiffness.

OrthTeam experts treat a wide range of tendon problems, which include:

Patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee) –is pain in the patellar tendon, a band of tissue connecting the kneecap (patella) to the shin bone (tibia). It’s usually caused by repetitive activities, such as running based sports, basketball and volleyball.

Common symptoms: Pain just beneath the kneecap during activities such as jumping, running, kicking and squatting.

Elbow tendinopathy – is associated with repetitive use activities of the wrist and hand, and results from overuse of the ten dons on the outside or inside of the elbow. Lateral elbow tendinopathy or ‘tennis elbow’ and medial elbow tendinopathy (golfer’s elbow) affect many people, not just athletes.

Common symptoms: The primary sensation is pain on the outer or inner aspect of the elbow. Lateral elbow tendinopathy (tennis elbow) involves the common extensor tendon origin and is felt on the outside of the elbow. Medial elbow tendinopathy (golfer’s elbow) involves the common flexor tendon origin and is felt on the inside of the elbow. Pain typically develops gradually and at the start following exercise, but later, there may be pain also at rest. Stiffness or tightness in the elbow and forearm re gion may also be present.

Achilles tendinopathy – is a painful con dition affecting the Achilles tendon and tends to be an overuse injury. Profes sional and weekend athletes can suffer from the condition, however, it’s also common in people not involved in sport. Sometimes, it can be related to certain types of arthritis.

Common symptoms: Pain at the back of the heel and in the middle of the tendon, also causing pain with running and jumping activities and sometimes painful when walking, swelling and tenderness of the Achilles tendon.

Diagnosis and treatment of tendinopathy

Your OrthTeam Sport and Exercise Medicine Consultant will take a full medical history, focusing on common risk factors, and an examination is usually fol lowed by an ultrasound or MRI scan to confirm the diagnosis and to look for any associated problems, such as a tear within the tendon.

Your specialist will advise you on how to modify any identified risk factors and how to adapt exercise. The treatment will depend on where you’re experiencing tendinopathy and may include physiotherapy, nutritional advice (including optimal protein intake and collagen), an ultrasoundguided injection of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) or corticosteroid, shockwave therapy or GTN patches.