What is TenJet?
TenJet is a needle-like device specifically designed to treat tendinosis or chronic tendinitis and provide relief from chronic tendon pain. The device uses a pressurized, high-velocity jet of saline to selectively resect and remove diseased tendon tissue while sparing healthy tissue.
TenJet enables sports medicine physicians to treat patients suffering from chronic tendon pain due to Tennis Elbow or Golfers’ Elbow, Jumper’s knee, Achilles tendinosis, or tendon calcifications in the shoulder, elbow, hamstring, or hip. It can also be used to treat plantar fasciitis.
The minimally invasive tendon treatment requires only a small incision, is performed in an outpatient setting using real-time ultrasound imaging to visualize the diseased tissue, and aims to accomplish the goal of diseased tissue resection similar to open or arthroscopic surgery.
Frequently Asked Questions
At the beginning of the procedure, you mayfeel some discomfort when the physicianadministers a local anesthetic.After yourtreatment, you may feel soreness in thetreated area as the anesthetic wears off.
On average, you should start experiencing improvement in tendon pain as early as 2 weeks after the procedure and continue to experience significant relief within three months of being treated for chronic tendinitis or tendinosis. Your physician will guide your post-treatment recovery plan through physical therapy and/or home exercises. Individual patient results and time to complete symptom relief may vary depending on compliance with post-procedure instructions and other variables.
When TenJet is used in a minimally invasiveprocedure, stitches may not needed.
Most insurance companies provide reimbursem*nt for tendon treatment procedures. TenJet may be used by your physician to perform the procedure.
Contact a Physician
Use our TenJet Physician Finder to locate a physician near you.
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Tendinitis vs Tendinosis
Most tendon injuries fall into two categories: Tendinitis and tendinosis
Tendinitis and tendinosis are different types of tendon injury. Although tendinosis is often referred to as chronic tendinitis, understanding which condition is affecting you could impact your treatment and time to resolution, as each requires different treatment approaches.
Tendon injuries can result from a single incident or activities that involve repetitive motion, resulting in micro-tears within the collagen fibers of the tendon.
Healthy Tendon
A healthy tendon is made up of strong, flexible bands of connective tissue that transmit the energy needed to create movement from muscle to bone. Ligaments, such as the plantar fascia, have a similar structure and composition to tendons and can develop injuries similar to tendons.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis refers to an inflamed tendon usually resulting from an acute injury or strain on the tendon. The condition can result in pain and tenderness in the fibrous connective tissue outside of the joint between the muscle and the bone.
Tendinosis
Tendinosis refers to a tendon with a breakdown in its structure and disorganized collagen fibers. At this stage, tendons may retain fluid, develop calcifications, and, if left untreated, develop partial tears or even full-thickness tears with a risk of rupture.
What Is Tendinitis?
Tendinitis is associated with inflammation of the tendon and is not usually associated with tissue degeneration or breakdown of the tendon fibers.
The causes of tendinitis can vary from person to person. In some cases, tendinitis and tendon inflammation may be caused by a sudden injury or strain during activity. In other cases, repetitive motion injuries can lead to chronic tendinitis –sometimes called systemic tendinitis—which may lead some individuals to feel like they keep getting tendinitis or get tendinitis easily.
In many cases, patients experience tendinitis pain in tendons most likely to be injured through repetitive strain or sports injuries. Some of the most common instances include:
- Plantar Fasciitis in the foot
- Achilles’ tendon
- Patella or Quadriceps tendons in the knee
- Hip tendons such as the gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, Ilio-tibial band, hamstring
- Extensor tendon in the elbow (tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis)
- Flexor tendon in the elbow (golfers elbow or medial epicondylitis)
- Biceps tendon in the shoulder
- Rotator cuff tendons (supraspinatus and/or infraspinatus tendons) in the shoulder
For most patients, tendinitis is diagnosed based on their clinical history and a physical exam performed by a physician. In some cases, other tests, an MRI or ultrasound may be used to confirm that the tendon pain is due to inflammation alone and rule out other causes of pain.
Tendinitis is not permanent. Most tendinitis patients who have inflammation in the tendon should heal within three months with conservative treatments.
Inflammatory tendinitis may heal on its own with rest and ice. Your physician may also recommend bracing, corticosteroid injections, or physical therapy.
Typically, tendinitis is treated by an orthopedic or sports medicine physician. In some cases, a patient may be referred to physical therapy or other allied health specialists if necessary.
