Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Aug 23:10:95.
doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-10-95.

Physiopathology of intratendinous calcific deposition

Francesco Oliva  1 , Alessio Giai Via, Nicola Maffulli
Affiliations
Review

Physiopathology of intratendinous calcific deposition

Francesco Oliva et al. BMC Med. .

Abstract

In calcific tendinopathy (CT), calcium deposits in the substance of the tendon, with chronic activity-related pain, tenderness, localized edema and various degrees of decreased range of motion. CT is particularly common in the rotator cuff, and supraspinatus, Achilles and patellar tendons. The presence of calcific deposits may worsen the clinical manifestations of tendinopathy with an increase in rupture rate, slower recovery times and a higher frequency of post-operative complications. The aetiopathogenesis of CT is still controversial, but seems to be the result of an active cell-mediated process and a localized attempt of the tendon to compensate the original decreased stiffness. Tendon healing includes many sequential processes, and disturbances at different stages of healing may lead to different combinations of histopathological changes, diverting the normal healing processes to an abnormal pathway. In this review, we discuss the theories of pathogenesis behind CT. Better understanding of the pathogenesis is essential for development of effective treatment modalities and for improvement of clinical outcomes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bilateral calcific tendinopathy (CT) of the shoulder.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Insertional calcific tendinopathy (CT) of the Achilles tendon associated with CT of the main body of the tendon.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Calcific tendinopathy (CT) of the subscapularis tendon in a 13-years-old boy.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The abnormal pathway that may lead to calcific tendinopathy (CT).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Oliva F, Via AG, Maffulli N. Calcific tendinopathy of the rotator cuff tendons. Sports Med Arthrosc. 2011;19:237–243. doi: 10.1097/JSA.0b013e318225bc5f. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Faure G, Daculsi G. Calcified tendinitis: a review. Ann Rheum Dis. 1983;42:49–53. doi: 10.1136/ard.42.Suppl_1.49. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Krishna Sayana M, Maffulli N. Insertional Achilles tendinopathy. Foot Ankle Clin. 2005;10:309–320. doi: 10.1016/j.fcl.2005.01.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Coleman BD, Khan KM, Kiss ZS, Bartlett J, Young DA, Wark JD. Open and arthroscopic patellar tenotomy for chronic patellar tendinopathy. A retrospective outcome study. Am J Sports Med. 2000;28:183–190. - PubMed
    1. Chan R, Kim DH, Millett PJ, Weissman BN. Calcifying tendinitis of the rotator cuff with cortical bone erosion. Skeletal Radiol. 2004;33:596–599. doi: 10.1007/s00256-004-0770-1. - DOI - PubMed