TENEX
TENEX is the brand name for percutaneous tenotomy which is a minimally invasive procedure used for the treatment of chronic tendon injuries. Tendon injuries are very common in athletics as well as in normal day-to-day activities and can be extremely painful and debilitating. Some examples of tendon injuries which can be treated with TENEX include:
Golfers elbow
Tennis elbow
Rotator cuff injury
Runner’s knee
Achilles tendonitis
Plantar fasciitis
When the tendon becomes injured, it does not normally heal very well and can result in scar tissue. This abnormal tendon is weak and dysfunctional and also can be extremely painful. Some tendon injuries will heal on their own but if you have gone three months without improvement options are limited. For the majority of people with chronic tendon injury, traditional treatment and rest does not work.
How does Tenex work?
Tenex is an excellent choice for treatment of chronic tendon injury. It is a small needle-like device that is inserted into the tendon while the doctor uses as ultrasound machine to guide the device to the area of scar tissue. The incision is only a couple of millimeters in length. Once the device is guided into the area of tendon damage the it is activated and the tip of the device vibrates at ultrasonic frequency. The vibration is able to break up scar tissue but does not damage the healthy tendon around it. It is important to note that the device does NOT cut the tendon. The device has a continuous irrigation and suction to flush out all the debris.
The procedure is performed under local anesthetic in the office and is pain free. Expect the entire session to take less than 45 minutes but the actual amount of time of procedure is usually less than 3 minutes.
What is the recovery process?
Most patients have minimal pain post procedure because there is no cutting or stitches. After the procedure it is important that you rest the area because once the scar tissue is removed, new healthy tendon tissue needs to regrow. Recovery usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks and during this time your doctor will slowly introduce gradually increased activity to ensure the tendon heals and is not reinjured.