Tendinopathy is a type of injury that affects the tendon, the structure that attaches muscle to bone. Tendinopathy may or may not involve inflammation and/or degeneration of the affected tendon.
In the past, the term tendinitis was used, but nowadays, this term is incorrect and new updates in medicine indicate that we use the definition or the term tendinopathy to refer to a tendon injury.
The symptoms of tendinopathy can vary, depending on the tendon that is affected. The most common symptoms are usually pain, inflammation, degeneration, poor functionality of the structure and associated muscle weakness.
To assess the existence of tendinopathy, we must resort to imaging tests, either ultrasound or MRI. Both techniques are ideal for assessing and diagnosing a possible tendinopathy as they show us in real time. The internal state of the tendon if it is inflamed, if it is degenerated or if it has a process of neovascularisation.
Scientific evidence has shown that a conservative physiotherapy treatment together with a therapeutic exercise treatment is more than effective in reversing tendinopathy and the symptoms it causes. Numerous scientific studies have shown that the use of corticosteroids or stem cell-enriched plasma does not outweigh the benefits of physiotherapy and therapeutic exercise.