TenJet System

Chronic Tendon Pain Explained

Tendon pain is caused by repetitive stress injury. Most tendon injuries heal on their own with rest, ice, and occasionally physical therapy.

However, if you’ve suffered from tendonitis for more than three months and it is not getting better, your condition is considered chronic. In a chronic state, scar tissue begins to build up and the body begins to give up healing the damaged tendon. When this happens, the damaged tissue needs to be removed to completely eliminate the pain.

TenJet System for Plantar Fasciitis and Achilles Tendon Pain

The TenJet System is a minimally invasive procedure that targets and treats the source of chronic tendon pain. Under ultrasound imaging guidance and local anesthesia, Tenjet delivers a high-pressure stream of saline that can differentiate between healthy and damaged tissue.

The flow dynamics of the supersonic saline stream create a suction effect, which cuts and removes diseased tissue instantaneously while sparing healthy tendons during this real-time, image-guided procedure. Because the suction effect provides simultaneous removal of debrided tissue, our physicians are able to see continuous visualization of changes in the tendon pathology. The TenJet is considered to be an improved version of the Tenex procedure because the use of a water jet is better than the suction of Tenex.

Our physicians have taken this state-of-the-art technology and improved on it by infusing amniotic stem cells or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections during the procedure. The addition of these regenerative medicines augments healing and speeds up the recovery process.

The TenJet System is also used to treat golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, jumper’s knee, rotator cuff tendonitis, quadricep tendonitis and other tendon conditions.

TenJet System vs Tenex procedure, which is better?

Through the water jet technology of the Tenjet Hydrocision system, scar formation is very easily broken down and removed via negative pressure. With the Tenex system, a blade is passed back and forth to break up the scar tissue. This makes the Tenex system far inferior because it also breaks down the good tissue as the probe is passed back and forth.

Tenjet water jet system, on the other hand, only breaks down the scarred and diseased tendon tissue, allowing for less trauma and improved healing capability of the region. 

What to Expect During the TenJet Procedure

The minimally invasive procedure is performed in an outpatient setting under a local anesthetic. Tenjet takes approximately 15 minutes, and the small incision eliminates the need for stitches.

Patients may feel some discomfort at the beginning of the procedure when the local anesthetic is administered. Post-procedure, some report some soreness in the treated area. This can be managed with over-the-counter medications.

While individual results may vary, on average, patients experience pain relief within three months of the procedure.

The TenJet procedure is covered by most insurance providers.

Why trust University Foot and Ankle Institute

Our patients rely on our decades of experience in developing, researching, and using the latest technologies to help bring pain-free activity back to their lives. Whether you want to compete in sports again or play with your kids, you can trust our physicians to know if advanced therapies such as shockwave therapy would likely be effective.

If you’re suffering from foot pain and have not received adequate relief or care or need an independent second opinion, don't hesitate to get in touch with us today to schedule a consultation.

University Foot and Ankle Institute is conveniently located throughout Southern California and the Los Angeles area, as our foot doctors are available at locations in or near Santa Monica (on Wilshire Blvd.), El Segundo, Mid-Wilshire Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Santa Barbara, and Valencia to name a few.