Ultrasound stiffness scans put tendon pain under the microscope
NCT ID NCT03456778
First seen Sep 11, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026
Summary
Researchers at Emory University are testing whether shear wave elastography, an ultrasound technique that measures tissue stiffness, can tell the difference between healthy tendons and painful ones. The study enrolls about 56 people, some with tendinopathy and some without, and scans tendons such as the Achilles, patellar, and rotator cuff. For participants with tendon pain who receive standard care, the team tracks stiffness changes and questionnaire scores over time to see how healing relates to what the scan shows.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- shear wave elastography, an ultrasound imaging technique
- What this could lead to
- If it works, doctors could use a quick ultrasound scan to measure tendon stiffness, track healing, and tailor treatment for tendinopathy.
- What could go wrong
- This small study only observes people receiving standard care, so it cannot prove the scan changes outcomes. Stiffness measurements may not match symptoms or predict recovery.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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56 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2018
- Finished
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May 2024
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients at the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center who are asymptomatic or symptomatic for tendinopathy.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria for Asymptomatic Volunteers: * Patients presenting at the study location with lower extremity pain without tendon involvement Inclusion Criteria for Symptomatic Volunteers: * Patients presenting at the study location with a clinical diagnosis of tenalgia * Diagnosis of tendinopathy confirmed by ultrasound Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy * History of tendinopathy or surgery and morphologic abnormalities * History of systemic, metabolic, endocrine diseases, or psoriasis * History of treatment with corticosteroids, estrogens, long term quinolone antibiotics, and cholesterol drugs
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center
Atlanta, Georgia, 30329, United States
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