Tendon injures cause a great deal of disability and pain, and increase medical costs. However, relatively little is known about tendon biology and healing. Many tendon-related surgical procedures are not very successful and leave the patient with essentially a chronic injury. New therapeutic approaches for tendon injury are needed. Preliminary evidence suggests that various nutrients such as proteins, amino acids (leucine, arginine, glutamine), vitamins C and D, manganese, copper, zinc, and phytochemicals may be useful in improving tendon growth and healing. More research on nutrition and tendon health is needed. Because many nutrients are required for tendon health, nutritional interventions involving multiple nutrients may be more effective than single-nutrient strategies. In the future, ideal treatment regimens for tendon injuries may include a multifaceted "bundle" of nutrition, drugs, biologic products, extracellular matrix therapies, exercise/physical therapy, and possibly surgery.
Keywords: Achilles tendon; Amino acids; Copper; Manganese; Phytochemicals; Rotator cuff; Tendon; Tenocytes; Vitamin C; Zinc.
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