Current trends in tendinopathy: consensus of the ESSKA basic science committee. Part II: treatment options

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Chronic tendinopathy presents a significant clinical challenge.
• Current treatment strategies include non-invasive and invasive methods.
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), autologous blood, and cortisone injections are increasingly used when conservative treatments fail.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of the latest treatment options for tendinopathy.
• To review current scientific literature on tendinopathy treatments.
• To follow up on previous ESSKA basic science committee reviews concerning tendinopathy biology, biomechanics, and anatomy.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of current concepts and treatment options for tendinopathy.
• Analysis of scientific evidence supporting various injection and surgical interventions.
• Synthesis of data from human studies and clinical reports.

Main Results:

• Limited scientific evidence from human studies supports the efficacy of injection treatments for tendinopathy.
• Surgical interventions (open or endoscopic) are considered a last resort with variable results.
• Non-invasive and tendon-invasive methods are widely employed, but their effectiveness varies.

Conclusions:

• The optimal treatment for chronic tendinopathy remains challenging.
• Further high-quality human studies are needed to validate the effectiveness of injection therapies.
• A comprehensive understanding of tendinopathy treatments, from basic science to clinical application, is crucial.