Tenex Health TX™: Revolutionary Treatment for Chronic Tendonitis

If you suffer from chronic tendonitis or plantar fasciitis, you know it’s always been something you just have to live with. Conservative treatment has always been geared towards reducing symptoms and easing your pain, with the only real alternative being surgery. Now there’s a nonsurgical procedure that does something revolutionary: it treats the causes of tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, not just the symptoms. Iowa Radiology and Unity Point Iowa Lutheran Hospital are excited to offer Tenex Health TX™, which does something no other non-surgical therapy can do: it removes the source of pain that causes chronic tendon and plantar fascia disease.

Traditionally, only the worst cases of chronic tendon and plantar fascia pain complaints were treated -- by performing surgery to scrape away or cut the tissue from the problematic area. Surgery comes with many risks and is a high-investment procedure; there is the initial treatment time, recovery time, medical costs and the longer-term costs of loss of functionality during recovery and possibly thereafter if complications arise. Most patients have been more often treated with conservative treatment including rest, ice, bracing, orthotics, pain medication, physical therapy and even cortisone injections to reduce the symptoms and lessen the pain.   Now, a nonsurgical option is available for those patients who continue to suffer when conservative therapy does not work. Tenex Health TX™ is an outpatient procedure in which ultrasonic energy is used in conjunction with traditional visual ultrasound to identify and remove pain causing tendon and plantar fascia tissue. It is quicker and easier than surgery, has a much shorter recovery time and has vastly fewer risks and possible complications. This procedure can improve the quality of life for many patients with chronic tendon and plantar fascia pain dramatically without the risks and costs of traditional surgery. 

How does the Tenex Health TX™ procedure work?

A patient is prepared very similarly to a traditional cortisone injection: the area is sterilized, a local anesthetic is administered to the procedure site, and a small skin opening is made allowing a small needle to be inserted into the tendon or plantar fascia. Unlike a cortisone shot, however, the needle inserted contains a minimally invasive instrument called the TX MicroTip which uses gentle ultrasonic energy designed to safely breakdown and remove the damaged tissue.  With the TX MicroTip under the skin, the doctor moves the visual ultrasound over the skin showing the tissue inside that needs treatment. Now that the doctor can precisely see the treatment area, he quickly removes the pain causing tissue with the TX MicroTip without damaging healthy tissue.  Once the pain causing tissue is removed, the body's natural healing response takes over to regenerate normal healthy tissue. When the procedure is completed, your doctor applies a small bandage (like a Band-Aid); no stitches are required. Generally, many people are able to drive home immediately following the procedure. 

The Tenex Health TX procedure takes about 30 minutes and is performed as an outpatient procedure. Most patients experience minimal pain (treatable with over-the-counter pain medications) and a return to full functionality within about six to eight weeks, with significant reduction in pain and restoration of mobility. 

The technology was developed in 2011 by Tenex Health and the Mayo Clinic. It was adapted from the science and techniques that have safely been used to remove cataracts for 40 years. Since 2011, over 20,000 patients have successfully been treated using the TX1.  

Does this sound like you?

• You’ve suffered from plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, jumper’s knee, tennis or golfer’s elbow, and have had chronic pain in your elbow, knee, achilles or plantar fascia for three months or longer.
• You’ve tried and failed at conservative treatment (RICE, PT, maybe even cortisone injections).
• You can easily identify the location and source of your pain.

If so, this procedure might be right for you. You should talk with your doctor to evaluate whether this new treatment option might be a good fit in your care plan. Here at Iowa Radiology a subset of our interventional radiologists are currently treating many problematic areas with this new procedure, including Dr. Stradling, Dr. Kaufman and Dr. De Pena.  We are performing the procedure at Unity Point Iowa Lutheran Hospital in the outpatient radiology department. Questions about scheduling can be directed to the outpatient radiology clinic at 515-208-1143; contact us with any questions or concerns, or to learn more about whether this procedure might be a good fit for you!

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