eMedicine Specialties > Orthopedic Surgery > Systemic Diseases

Calcifying Tendonitis: Follow-up

Author: Anthony H Woodward, MD, Consulting Surgeon, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Private Practice
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Oct 23, 2007

Outcome and Prognosis

In general, it appears that the acute severe symptoms of calcifying tendinitis are likely to resolve spontaneously within 3 weeks. Chronic symptoms also tend to resolve over a period of months to a few years, although some have been reported to persist up to 15 years. Initially, asymptomatic shoulders with calcific deposits have been reported to become painful. This tendency for spontaneous recovery means that the effectiveness of any treatment can be established only with controlled trials.

A 2-year follow-up of 24 patients treated by arthroscopic subacromial decompression who had calcific deposits demonstrated that in 19 patients (79%), the calcific deposits became smaller, although they had not been touched.27 The postoperative clinical results of these patients were indistinguishable from those of matched patients without calcific deposits who underwent similar decompressions.

Future and Controversies

The role of ECSW for treating calcifying tendinitis is still being evaluated. To date, studies appear to indicate this technique is of value in alleviating the shoulder pain and loss of function caused by calcifying tendinitis.28,29

 


More on Calcifying Tendonitis

Overview: Calcifying Tendonitis
Workup: Calcifying Tendonitis
Treatment: Calcifying Tendonitis
Follow-up: Calcifying Tendonitis
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

calcifying tendinitis, calcific tendinitis, calcified tendinitis, calcareous tendinitis, tendinosis calcarea, calcific tendinopathy

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Anthony H Woodward, MD, Consulting Surgeon, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Private Practice
Anthony H Woodward, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Orthopaedic Medicine and Oregon Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Jegan Krishnan, MBBS, FRACS, PhD, Chair, Senior Clinical Director, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Flinders Medical Centre and Repatriation General Hospital, Flinders University of South Australia
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Paul E Di Cesare, MD, Chair and Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of California Davis School of Medicine
Paul E Di Cesare, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, and Sigma Xi
Disclosure: stryker Consulting fee Consulting; smith and nephew Consulting fee Speaking and teaching

CME Editor

Dinesh Patel, MD, FACS, Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School; Chief of Arthroscopic Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dinesh Patel, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, American College of International Physicians, and American College of Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Harris Gellman, MD, Consulting Surgeon, Broward Hand Center, Voluntary Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Plastic Surgery, Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine
Harris Gellman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Association, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and Arkansas Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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