Amniotic membrane/umbilical cord particulate injection provides pain relief for achilles tendinopathy: Study

Chicago, USA: Achilles tendinopathy is a significant cause of disability among adults. Among these tendinopathy cases, 4-23% will also have concurrent partial tendon tears. Current conservative treatment modalities include analgesics, rest, orthotics, and physical therapy including eccentric exercise for tendinopathy. When non-invasive treatments fail, injectional therapy with saline, analgesics, or corticosteroid have been considered. However, there is a lack of established efficacy for conservative treatment modalities as evidenced by the wide range of reported success in literature, ranging from 24% to 89%. Furthermore, corticosteroids should be generally avoided as they may increase the risk of injury, atrophy, and decrease tendon strength.

The study by M.J. Chin and K. LaViolette investigated the alternative use of amniotic membrane/umbilical cord particulate (AMUC) injection in patients with Achilles tendinopathy with or without partial tendon tear.

Method: A single-center, retrospective study was conducted on Achilles tendinopathy patients with or without a partial tendon tear and received AMUC injection. Pain was evaluated before and after treatment, and measured on an 11-point numerical rating scale, where 0 was no pain and 10 was worst imaginable pain. Usage of pain medication and complications was also reported.