If you have had tendon pain for months, maybe longer, you already know the frustrating part: it does not get better. You rest it, you rehab it, you wait, and it is still there. There is a reason for that, and there is a treatment for it that most patients have never heard of. It is called Tenex.
Why chronic tendon pain does not heal on its own
Tendons have a poor blood supply. Blood is what carries the cells and nutrients that repair tissue, so when a tendon is injured and does not get enough of it, the tendon simply does not have a good source to heal. Over time the damaged tissue degenerates rather than repairs. That is why a chronic tendon problem can drag on for a year or more, and why rest alone often is not enough. The tendon is not going to fix itself, because it never had what it needed to.
What Tenex is
Tenex is the brand name of a device used for a procedure sometimes called percutaneous tenotomy. In plain terms, it is a minimally invasive way to remove the damaged, degenerated part of a tendon so that healthy tissue has room to heal.
Here is what makes it different from simply waiting. Using ultrasound to see the tendon in real time, a specialized needle-like instrument is guided to the damaged area. It uses ultrasonic energy to break up and then aspirate, meaning gently suction out, the bad tissue. Clearing away the degenerated tendon is what creates room for healing to actually happen.
Is it like dry needling?
It is a fair comparison, and a lot of patients ask it. You can think of Tenex as being in the same family as dry needling, but it does considerably more. Dry needling creates small disruptions to provoke a healing response. Tenex actually changes the structure of the tendon by removing the weakened, degenerated tissue. It is a meaningfully different level of treatment, which is also why it tends to work well for problems that have not responded to other approaches.
What the procedure is actually like
- You are awake. This is not surgery and there is no general anesthesia.
- The area is numbed with lidocaine, so you are comfortable during the procedure.
- It is done in the office, guided by ultrasound the entire time.
- Because it is minimally invasive, recovery is far simpler than surgical tendon repair.
For people who have been told their only remaining option is surgery, that combination, awake, numbed, in-office, and minimally invasive, is often a welcome surprise.
Who Tenex helps
Tenex is designed for chronic tendon pain that has not resolved with conservative care. Common areas include:
- Elbow tendons, including tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow
- Achilles and other ankle tendons, including the lingering pain that follows repeated ankle injuries
- Patellar and other knee tendons
- Shoulder, hip, and other tendon problems that have become chronic
It is specifically a tool for tendon problems. It is not a treatment for joint arthritis or for acute injuries that need a different approach, which is exactly why an accurate diagnosis comes first.
Why so few people have heard of it
Tenex is not widely advertised, and very few providers in Las Vegas offer it. That is unfortunate, because for the right patient it can resolve a problem that has been limiting them for a long time. If you have chronic tendon pain that has not responded to rest, physical therapy, or other treatments, it is worth finding out whether you are a candidate before you consider surgery.
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for an in-person evaluation. Individual results vary. To find out whether you are a candidate, schedule a consultation.
