Millions of Americans suffer from chronic pain, including tendon inflammation and soft tissue damage. If you’re one of those millions of men and women, you know how debilitating chronic pain can be.
At his practices in Sugar Land and Houston, Texas, J. Michael Bennett, MD, PA, uses the state-of-the-art Tenex® system to heal tendon and soft tissue injuries, relieving pain and restoring normal function in the knees, arms, and other areas.
Tenex uses ultrasound technology to relieve pain at its source — without surgery and drugs. Here’s how the Tenex procedure could help you find relief for chronic pain symptoms.
Tendons are strong, fibrous bands that connect muscles to bones, transferring the movements of our muscles directly to the bones in joints and other areas. Made up mostly of collagen fibers, tendons are strong but not very elastic, making them more prone to stress injuries.
When a tendon is damaged or injured, scar tissue forms in the area, forming a “patch” that repairs the tissue. The problem with scar tissue is that it’s not stretchy at all. That means that the areas where it forms tend to be inflexible, and when you move a muscle, the tendon is irritated by the scar tissue or sometimes held in place by scar tissue called adhesions.
These movement restrictions are a significant cause of chronic pain in your muscles and joints. Relieving pain means eliminating the scar tissue, which meant surgery until recently. The good news for patients (and doctors): Tenex ultrasound technology can remove scar tissue without resorting to surgery.
Tenex ultrasound therapy works for chronic tendon pain by breaking apart tough scar tissue that interferes with normal endon function. Once the scar tissue is eliminated, tendons are free to move normally, without restriction and the pain it can cause.
Tenex uses focused aspiration of scar tissue (FAST) to gently break up and then remove (aspirate) the tissue. Performed right in our office, the Tenex procedure takes less than 30 minutes.
Dr. Bennett numbs the area to begin the procedure, then inserts a tiny, hollow-tipped ultrasound probe through a small incision. The probe emits steady pulses of ultrasound energy waves to break scar tissue into tiny fragments. The hollow tip allows those fragments to be aspirated and removed, restoring the area without invasive surgery.
Afterward, you’ll restrict certain activities for a few weeks to give the area time to heal. Dr. Bennett provides individual recovery instructions based on each patient’s unique needs.
Of course, one of the most significant benefits of Tenex is that it relieves chronic pain caused by scar tissue and adhesions. But there are other benefits, too, like:
Because Tenex treats the source of pain (not just the symptoms), you also won’t find yourself relying on ever-increasing doses of potentially harmful pain medicines.
The Tenex system is an especially good choice for people with inflammation and soft tissue-related pain in the shoulders, elbows, and knees. To find out if it can help you relieve your painful symptoms, book an appointment with Dr. Bennett online or over the phone today.
