Pharmacological management for tendinopathy
Oral analgesics are often not very effective for tendinopathy; however, a trial of simple analgesia is reasonable initially; see Analgesia for acute soft-tissue limb conditions.
Local peritendinous corticosteroid injections to nonweightbearing tendons may be useful for short-term pain relief for people with tendinopathy. The analgesic effect can 6 to 8 weeks. Local corticosteroid injections do not appear to alter the pathology in tendinopathy, nor do they have any effect on long-term outcomes.
Although tendon rupture has been reported following corticosteroid injections, a causal relationship is unproven. Peritendinous corticosteroid injections should not be used if major weightbearing tendons (eg Achilles, patellar, tibialis posterior) are involved; seek specialist advice for management of corticosteroid injections around these tendons. For detailed advice, see Principles of use and example doses of local corticosteroid injections.