Calcific Tendinopathy Atypically Located Outside the Rotator Cuff: A Systematic Review

What is it about?

Calcific tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal condition causing severe pain but usually self-limited; the shoulder is considered the most common site, but this problem can affect every joint of the body, and there is a lack of knowledge regarding calcific tendinopathies outside the Rotator Cuff: for this reason, a condition which can be easily identified with ultrasound or conventional radiography is often underestimated, leading to expensive or invasive diagnostic exams and/or inappropriate treatment. We conducted an analysis of the prevalence of calcific tendinitis outside the Rotator Cuff, in order to to fill a gap in knowledge, thus avoiding improper clinical choices and helping to identify this condition. We performed a search on Pubmed and Scopus databases concerning atypically sited extra-rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy published since 1950, registering a total of 793 non-rotator cuff cases of calcific tendinopathy. The most common sites of calcific tendinopathy after the rotator cuff appear to be the spine, the foot and ankle and the hip, whereas the longus colli, Achilles and rectus femori are the most cited tendons.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The results found are interesting considering that a better awareness of the several different sites of Calific tendinopathies could avoid unnecessary choices both in assessment and treatment.