Doctors conduct out tendon repair surgery to fix a tendon injury. Tendons are tough, stretchy tissues that join muscles to bone. Their job is to allow the body to move and to transfer weight. Tendons also help protect joints from harm.

There are two main types of tendon:

  • Flexor tendons, which work past tightening to pull on the basic. An example of using a flexor tendon is when someone makes a fist.
  • Extensor tendons, which work by stretching when a part of the body needs to move outward, such as when standing on the toes or straightening the fingers.

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A person may demand surgery if they experience a deep cutting or tear to ane or more of their tendons.

People who may require tendon repair surgery include those with:

  • a deep cut that severs a tendon
  • an injury from contact sports
  • a tear or injury due to rheumatoid arthritis

If a person visits the md with a tendon injury, a doctor will behave out an initial physical examination of the injured area.

They volition check for:

  • foreign objects, if the injury is due to a cut
  • blood loss
  • signs of infection
  • other injuries, such as fractures, dislocations, nerve injuries, or injuries to the blood vessels

The doctor will too compare the injured part of the trunk to the non-injured side, checking for a difference in the range of move.

They will as well likely ask the person to try to move the damaged part of their body in different directions to become a more than authentic diagnosis of the injury.

Imaging tests, such as ultrasounds and MRIs, tin can also assist diagnose the precise cause and location of the tendon injury.

Tendon injuries ofttimes require surgical treatment. The aims of tendon repair surgery are:

  • to bring dorsum normal range of motion and function to an injured tendon
  • to provide pain relief

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A doc volition provide anesthetic before surgery.

Before surgery for tendon repair, doctors will explain the procedure and provide anesthesia, which will prevent the person from feeling any pain.

At that place are three possible types of anesthetic a doc may use:

  • Full general anesthetic: The person will be unconscious and unable to feel any hurting.
  • Regional coldhearted: This coldhearted will numb a large area of the body around the affected surface area. The person will exist awake during surgery but will not experience hurting.
  • Local anesthetic: This anesthetic numbs but the surface area that needs surgery. The person volition be awake during the process but will not experience whatever pain.

The type of anesthetic a person receives volition depend on:

  • their medical history
  • where the tendon is in the body
  • anything else the surgeon needs to exercise in addition to the tendon repair

The surgeon may want to run across the person try to motility their tendon as soon equally possible later the surgery, or during, if they are awake, to ensure the procedure was successful.

The following steps occur during most tendon repair operations:

  • The surgeon will make at least ane cutting through the skin in the area higher up the injured tendon and then they tin run across it and await for injuries.
  • They will remove whatsoever damaged tendon tissue.
  • They volition carefully run up whatsoever torn ends of the tendon back together.
  • Once this is complete, the surgeon will sew the cut pare back together with medical stitches.
  • A md or nurse will cover the wound and stitches with fresh medical dressings.
  • A splint or similar dressing can reduce tension while the tendon heals. If there is too much tension on the tendon, the repair will fail and re-tear.

The tendon may be too short for the surgeon to stitch it dorsum together as information technology is. If this is the case, the surgeon will graft an extra piece of tendon between the ends to brand them meet.

The surgeon volition unremarkably take the good for you tendon tissue for the graft from another part of the person's body.

A person may require a tendon transfer. A tendon transfer involves a surgeon removing a tendon that is close to the severed tendon and sewing information technology into the place of the cleaved tendon to restore part.

Surgeons usually take tendons from areas where the body has two tendons simply tin can manage with just ane.

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Information technology is important to proceed the affected surface area elevated for a few days after surgery.

There are three stages to the timeline of tendon healing after surgery.

  1. Inflammation: For the kickoff iii–v days, the surface area may feel swollen while the body works to heal itself.
  2. Early repair: During the next 3–half-dozen weeks, the range of motion will start to render, only the area may feel slightly stiff.
  3. Later repair: Subsequently 10–12 weeks, the swelling volition accept gone down, and the tendon volition be easier to move.

In virtually cases, a person can become home shortly subsequently having tendon repair surgery. The medical team will recommend some physical therapy or occupational therapy exercises to help bring back the range of move slowly and safely. A person should not begin doing the exercises until a doctor says it is safe to do then.

It is essential to keep the expanse elevated to forbid pain and swelling for the first few days.

Common risks of tendon repair include:

  • joint stiffness and loss of motion
  • scar tissue
  • the tendon trigger-happy over again

Additional medical atmospheric condition can affect how successful tendon repair surgery is. These include:

  • diabetes
  • circulation problems
  • obesity
  • heart atmospheric condition
  • nerve conditions
  • drug and alcohol addiction
  • smoking

A doctor volition ask a person about their total medical history earlier the surgery and discuss the possibility of any risks and complications.

Tendon injuries are relatively mutual and often require surgery to repair them. Tendon repair surgeries are usually straightforward but come up with some pocket-size risks.

After the surgery, a person should slowly regain their range of motion. In some cases, even so, the tendon tin can tear again.