The Tenex procedure is a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure that help those who are suffering from chronic tendon pain by non-surgically removing damaged scar tissue and calcifications in the tendons. This procedure, developed by Tenex Health in collaboration with a world-renowned US Clinic, is particularly effective on the tendons of the elbow, shoulder, knees, and ankle.
Many people suffer from chronic tendon pain that affects daily activities, such as participating in exercise and sports activities, picking up heavy objects, walking and even shaking hands. Tendon pain is typically caused by continued trauma or over usage of joints and muscles.
This procedure can be used to treat many different kinds of tendon and soft-tissue injuries, including rotator cuff tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendonitis (jumper’s knee), plantar fasciitis and both lateral and medial epicondylitis (tennis elbow or golfers elbow). By removing scar tissue, the procedure helps restore mobility and circulation to the tendon site, as well as encouraging regrowth of healthy tissue.
The Procedure
Your consultant will ask you to stop taking any nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) at least one week before and after your procedure to reduce the risk of bleeding.
This includes such common over-the-counter and prescriptions NSAIDs as:
– Ibuprofen (also known as Brufen®; Calprofen®; Cuprofen®; Fenpaed®; Ibucalm®; Ibular®; Mandafen®; Nurofen®).
– Naproxen
– Diclofenac (also known as Voltarol®)
– Celecoxib
– Mefenamic acid
– Etoricoxib
– Indomethacin
– High-dose aspirin (Anadin®)
You should wear something comfortable that you can change into and out of easily if needed and leave jewellery and any valuables at home.
There are no food and drink restrictions as the procedure is done under local anaesthetic.
If you are having your ankle or foot treated, then please arrange transport after your procedure, as walking on a numb foot can be problematic. Do not try and drive until the local anaesthetic has completely worn off (which could be a few hours).
Benefits
– Relief of chronic pain
– Enabling patients to renew vigorous activities
– A fast recovery time
– Minimally invasive with a small incision
– No scarring
– No risks from the complications of surgery and general anaesthesia
– Restores normal tendon by removing scar tissue
This procedure is a good option for patients who have been struggling with chronic tendon pain and are looking for an alternative to steroid injections, physiotherapy, traditional tendon repair surgery, or where the traditional methods have failed to produce results.
Risks
Possible risks of this procedure may include:
– It may not work
– Pain or infection at the injection site
– Bruising
– Stiffness in the injected point
– Allergic reaction
– Bleeding / haematoma
A few of the drawbacks of the Tenex procedure are that:
– Large-scale clinical trials haven’t yet been performed into the overall effectiveness of Tenex compared to other procedures or surgeries.
– It may not be effective for severe tendon tears or damage.
– The risk of complications may be similar to other interventions for some tendon conditions, such as those involving the Achilles tendon.
– There is a lack of data for the effectiveness of Tenex long-term.
The procedure offers patients a non-surgical option that is faster than traditional surgeries, creates a smaller incision resulting in less dermal scarring, and allows for a quicker and less painful recovery.
This procedure is known in medical terminology as focused aspiration of scar tissue, percutaneous (via needle puncture) tenotomy, and percutaneous fasciotomy (easing tension by removing scar tissue that causes pain). The procedure uses a small instrument that is inserted through the skin into the damaged tendon and vibrates at ultrasonic frequencies to break up and remove damaged scar tissue.
Before the procedure patients are typically given a local anaesthetic that is used to anesthetize the affected area. Ultrasound imaging identifies and precisely locates the patient’s damaged scar tissue within the tendon.
A small incision is made along the affected area. The “Tenex Tissue Removal System” utilizes a small instrument with a needle-like point (the TX MicroTip) that is inserted into the area and high-frequency vibrations break up the damaged scar tissue.
The instrument uses ultrasound frequency that is designed not to damage the surrounding healthy tissue. The Tenex system then gently removes the broken up fragments of scar tissue. Instead of applying stitches, the incision is closed using an adhesive bandage/plaster and the procedure is complete.
Patients generally experience a recovery period of four to six weeks. Most patients say they feel little to no pain during the treatment. Many patients are able to drive home the same day.
Since Tenex was developed and approved in 2013 (in the US), more than 80,000 procedures have been performed worldwide.
Clinical Studies
Clinical studies, as well as several years of follow-up research on post-treatment outcomes, there are a number of are impressive studies which cover plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis and rotator cuff injuries amongst others.