REVIEW OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF PATHOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF TENDINOPATHIES

Tendon pain has been considered either an inflammatory result of injury or a degenerative process, (Khan, Cook, Kannus, Maffulli, & Bonar, 2002) but further studies are revealing that it is a complex combination of the two, or a failed healing response. (D'Addona, Maffulli, Formisano, & Rosa, 2017) Some tendon problems are the result of factors external to the tendon, such as excessive demands or mechanical abrasion. At least initially, these are largely inflammatory in nature and may appropriately be termed tendinitis. Reducing inflammation may be an appropriate part of treatment. Other tendon problems occur without obvious injury in inactive individuals. These are mostly degenerative in nature, and have been termed tendinosis to indicate that a non-inflammatory process is at work. If either of these processes is allowed to continue, there will eventually be an arrest of healing. Osti (Osti et al., 2017) (Bhabra et al., 2016) Macroscopic tears may result. By recognizing that there are three general types of tendon pathology ---inflammatory, degenerative, and arrested healing – treatment can be modified to match the defect