Tendinitis is considered one of the most frequent injuries in athletes, associated with what are known as overuse injuries. In the working world, they are injuries that develop due to repeated movements and maintained postures, causing common conditions such as epicondylitis (known as tennis elbow), tendinitis of the Achilles or patellar tendon, which require pharmacological treatment, physiotherapy and, on occasions, surgery due to their recurrent and chronic nature.
Traditionally, tendinitis has been defined, diagnosed and treated as an inflammatory process of an insertional nature, since it is a degenerative process. This would justify the poor results obtained by the multiple treatments used in tendinitis that are based on the anti-inflammatory concept. If the tendon has degenerated, it must be repaired so that it can function as it did previously.
EPI® technique
The EPI® technique (Intratissular Percutaneous Electrolysis) is a major revolution in the treatment of tendinitis. EPI® is a physiotherapy technique that consists of the percutaneous application of an electric current directly on the affected tissue, with the help of an acupuncture needle and using ultrasound. The aim of this technique is to heal the injury and regenerate the tissue, so that the athlete can return to training and competition without problems. Analyses carried out on animals and humans demonstrate the effectiveness of the EPI® technique to achieve these results in a few sessions (between 3 and 6 sessions) with a success rate of around 80%.
Our experience
The experience at MVClinic is based on the ultrasound-guided application of the technique by expert physiotherapists in EPI® and ultrasound, which allows the treatment to be specifically targeted to the injured area. Prior to this, an investigation of the function and structure of the tendon is necessary, using the latest technology in musculoskeletal ultrasound with Power Doppler or sonoelastography.