GULF BREEZE — Dr. Joshua G. Hackel, of Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, is championing a new technique to treat the disease of tendons.
“While there have been many advancements in the treatment of the degeneration of tendons, the return-to-play rate from those treatments are not at the level I would like to see,” Hackel said.
He offers an alternative to surgery for Tendinopathy with a minimally invasive procedure described as a percutaneous tenotomy. It removes a tendon’s degenerative tissue through the end of a needle tip.
“With the assistance of ultrasound, you can introduce the tendon down to the defect and precisely remove the degenerative tissue guided accurately by the ultrasound,” he said.
Recovery time is accelerated due to the minimally invasive technique, and is a safe and proven alternative to surgery, he said. “If the tendon is in a place where we can reach it with the tip of a needle, we can treat it,” Hackel said.
Percutaneous tenotomy is done under local anesthesia so the patient can remain conscious throughout the procedure.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Gulf Breeze doctor offers new procedure to treat tendon disease