Tendon pathology

Last revised by Maulik S Patel on 17 Jan 2022

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Gaillard F, Patel M, Baba Y, et al. Tendon pathology. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 10 Jun 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-2156

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-2156

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/2156?iframe=true

rID:

2156

Article created:

2 May 2008, Frank Gaillard ◉ ◈

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.

Last revised:

17 Jan 2022, Maulik S Patel

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Maulik S Patel had no recorded disclosures.

Revisions:

Systems:

Musculoskeletal, Trauma

Tags:

emergencymedicine, sports, sports medicine, sports injuries

Synonyms:

A number of processes can cause tendon pathology and there is a discrepancy in terminology reflecting the unclear pathophysiology.

tendinopathy: general umbrella term for pain and swelling of a tendon ^2,3
tendinitis
- previously popular term largely replaced by tendinopathy ³
- now largely used to refer to an acute inflammatory process, e.g. calcific tendinitis, rheumatoid arthritis ⁴
tendinosis
- chronic tendon injury with cellular-level damage ²
- some authors specifically define it as tendinopathy of the mid-tendon ³
tenosynovitis: pain and swelling affecting a fully-developed tendon sheath +/- tendinosis ³
paratenonitis/peritendinitis/paratendinopathy: inflammation of the paratenon +/- tendinosis ³
tendon entrapment
tendon rupture
tendon instability (subluxation and dislocation)