What is the current evidence on the role of inflammation in various tendinopathies? I remember Austin saying in the NSAID podcast a while back that they don’t tend to work very well because tendinopathies don’t cause inflammation. But I’ve read some data stating the contrary. Just curious. Thanks guys
You are asking a very broad question. Can you narrow it down and cite the data you have reviewed to offer some context?
I don’t think we would confidently say that it is a process entirely "devoid*"* of inflammation, but rather that inflammation is probably not the primary pathophysiologic driver with respect to tendon disorganization/degeneration, pain, and functional limitations. If it were, then we would expect to see greater benefits of directly anti-inflammatory therapies (e.g. NSAIDs, glucocorticoids, etc.) with respect to symptomatic and functional resolution … which is not what has been observed.
See this article, and its “inflammatory model” section: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/19/1187