Time to abandon the “tendinitis” myth
BMJ 2002; 324 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.324.7338.626 (Published 16 March 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;324:626
Painful, overuse tendon conditions have a non-inflammatory pathology
- K M Khan, assistant professor,
- J L Cook, associate professor,
- P Kannus, professor,
- N Maffulli, professor and head,
- S F Bonar, senior musculoskeletal pathologist
- Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z3
- School of Physiotherapy, LaTrobe University, Bundoora, Australia 3083
- Department of Surgery, Tampere University Medical School and University and UKK Institute, Tampere, Finland 33501
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Keele University School of Medicine, North Staffordshire Hospital, Stoke on Trent, ST4 7QB
- Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology, Sydney, Australia 2113
Tendinitis such as that of the Achilles, lateral elbow, and rotator cuff tendons is a common presentation to family practitioners and various medical specialists.1 Most currently practising general practitioners were taught, and many still believe, that patients who present with overuse tendinitis have a largely inflammatory condition and will benefit from anti-inflammatory medication. Unfortunately this dogma is deeply entrenched. Ten of 11 readily available sports medicine texts specifically recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for treating painful conditions like Achilles and patellar tendinitis despite the lack of a biological rationale or clinical evidence for this approach. 2 3
Instead of adhering to the myths above, physicians should acknowledge that painful overuse tendon conditions have a non-inflammatory pathology. Light …
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