bibliography*The PainScience Bibliography contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers and others sources, like a specialized blog. This page is about a single scientific paper in the bibliography, Marsolais 2003.

Diclofenac does not protect tendons or promote recovery

updated Jan 11, 2019

Tags: treatment, medications, nutrition, inflammation, tendinosis, self-treatment, pain problems, overuse injury, injury

PainSci summary of Marsolais 2003?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided at the bottom of the page, as often as possible. ★★★★☆?4-star ratings are for bigger/better studies and reviews published in more prestigious journals, with only quibbles. Ratings are a highly subjective opinion, and subject to revision at any time. If you think this paper has been incorrectly rated, please let me know.

“Whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a beneficial effect on tendon regeneration is still a matter of debate.” These researchers “tested the hypothesis that a 3-day treatment with diclofenac would protect tendons from inflammatory cell injury and would promote healing,” and found that it did not: “The inhibition of leukocyte accumulation by diclofenac did not translate into a reduction of tissue damage or a promotion of tissue healing, because the mechanical properties of injured Achilles tendons were identical in placebo and diclofenac-treated groups.”

original abstract†Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.

Whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a beneficial effect on tendon regeneration is still a matter of debate. Given that inflammatory cells are thought to induce nonspecific damage following an injury, we tested the hypothesis that a 3-day treatment with diclofenac would protect tendons from inflammatory cell injury and would promote healing. Neutrophil and ED1(+) macrophage concentrations were determined in the paratenon and the core of the rat Achilles tendon following collagenase-induced injury. Hydroxyproline content, edema, and mechanical properties were also evaluated at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days post-trauma. Collagenase injections induced a 70% decrease in the ultimate rupture point at Day 3. Diclofenac treatments (1 mg/kg bid) selectively decreased the accumulation of neutrophils and ED1(+) macrophages by 59% and 35%, respectively, in the paratenon, where blood vessels are numerous, but did not reduce the accumulation of neutrophils and ED1(+) macrophages in the core of the tendon. Edema was significantly reduced on Day 3 but persisted during the remodeling phase in the diclofenac-treated group only. The inhibition of leukocyte accumulation by diclofenac did not translate into a reduction of tissue damage or a promotion of tissue healing, because the mechanical properties of injured Achilles tendons were identical in placebo and diclofenac-treated groups. These results indicate that diclofenac reduced both edema and the accumulation of inflammatory cells within the paratenon but provided no biochemical or functional benefits for the Achilles tendon.

original abstract†Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.

related content