THE CORRELATION BETWEEN IMAGING AND SYMPTOMS IN TENDINOPATHY

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN IMAGING AND SYMPTOMS IN TENDINOPATHY

Imaging results (x-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound) in general correlate very poorly with an individual’s reported symptoms. Tendinopathy is a great example of this.

A pathological tendon found on imaging (with an MRI/US reporting tendinosis, degeneration, disorganization of fibres or intratendinous tears) is purely a RISK FACTOR for a painful tendon, rather than a definitive diagnosis. These findings will make you 3-15x more likely to have a painful tendon (or clinically a tendinopathy). 

Think of it like smoking and lung cancer. Smokers are far more likely to have lung cancer than non-smokers, but it is not guaranteed. Just like people with degenerative tendons on imaging reports are simply more likely to have a tendinopathy.

We know that there is a very high prevalence of asymptomatic tendon pathology found on imaging (up to 50% in some groups). This means that almost half of people with a crappy looking MRI or ultrasound will have no pain!

We need to focus on pain and function, not on imaging reports…

Chris Bryceson

B. Health Sciences (Physio), APAM

CB Physiotherapy