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If you’re dealing with ongoing pain and swelling in your wrists, ankles, or knees, enthesopathy could be the cause. This condition affects the entheses, where tendons and ligaments connect to bones. When these areas become inflamed, enthesopathy results. If left untreated, enthesopathy can lead to worsening pain, limited mobility, and a decline in your overall quality of life.
ANF Therapy®️ is the newest treatment approach for enthesopathy. It uses frequency-emitting devices to treat symptoms and the root cause of disease. This therapy addresses pain and inflammation by activating the body’s own natural healing process.
What is enthesopathy?
Enthesopathy is a problem that causes pain and inflammation at the points where ligaments and tendons attach to the bone. These attachment points are called entheses, and their swelling is called enthesitis or enthesopathy. This can lead to pain, stiffness, and functional limitations.
How common is enthesopathy?
Enthesopathy is especially prevalent among people with inflammatory arthritis, such as psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (SpA). Research indicates that approximately 35% of people with PsA experience enthesitis. For those diagnosed with SpA, the incidence of enthesopathy can range from 10% to 60%.
What are the types of enthesopathy?
Enthesopathy can affect various joints and regions in the body. Here are some common types of enthesopathy:
Elbow enthesopathy
Elbow enthesopathy affects the tendons and ligaments around the elbow. It can cause pain and tenderness, making it hard to grip or lift objects. It is commonly associated with conditions like tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow.
Shoulder enthesopathy
Shoulder enthesopathy involves conditions like rotator cuff syndrome, leading to pain and inflammation around the shoulder. This can cause weakness and make it hard to move your arm.
Spinal enthesopathy
Spinal enthesopathy is commonly linked to ankylosing spondylitis. It causes pain where ligaments attach to the spine, often resulting in chronic back pain and stiffness, which limits movement.
Hip enthesopathy
This type involves pain where tendons and ligaments attach to the hip area. It causes stiffness and discomfort, especially during movement.
Knee enthesopathy
Knee enthesopathy affects the ligaments around the knee joint. It leads to pain and discomfort, especially when bending or straightening the leg.
Foot enthesopathy
Foot enthesopathy includes conditions like plantar fasciitis. It causes inflammation in the foot’s arch, resulting in heel pain.
Ankle enthesopathy
Ankle enthesopathy involves inflammation of the ankle tendons and ligaments. It restricts movement and causes pain during activities.
Heel enthesopathy
Heel enthesopathy occurs when the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel bone. It causes pain while walking or running.
What are the causes of enthesopathy?
Various factors can cause enthesopathy, including:
1. Mechanical stress
One of the most common causes of enthesopathy is mechanical stress. This often occurs due to overuse, especially in athletes or people whose jobs require repetitive movements. For example, runners and people who lift heavy things may feel strain where tendons and ligaments attach to bones. This repeated stress can lead to pain and inflammation.
Another cause of mechanical stress is repetitive strain injuries. If you perform the same motion over and over again, like typing on a keyboard or swinging a tennis racket, tiny injuries can occur at the attachment points. Over time, these micro-injuries can add up, leading to pain.
2. Inflammatory conditions
In addition to mechanical stress, inflammatory conditions can also lead to enthesopathy. Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis cause inflammation throughout the body, affecting the entheses. This can lead to stiffness and pain in the joints.
Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) also leads to inflammation that affects the entheses. Similarly, Ankylosing Spondylitis (SpA) primarily affects the spine; this disease can cause pain where tendons attach to bones.
Other potential causes
Aside from mechanical stress and inflammation, there are other potential causes of enthesopathy:
- Trauma: Injury or trauma to the joint area can directly damage the entheses. This can lead to pain and swelling.
- Genetic factors: If you have a family history of arthritis or similar conditions, you might be more susceptible to developing enthesopathy.
What are the symptoms of enthesopathy?
There are various symptoms of enthesopathy, including:
- Tenderness at tendon-bone attachment sites
- Pain around joints upon movement
- Joint stiffness, especially after rest
- Limited joint movement
- Swelling around joints
Treatment of enthesopathy with ANF Therapy®️:
ANF Therapy®️ presents an effective, non-invasive option for managing enthesopathy, a condition involving inflammation and pain at the sites where tendons or ligaments attach to bones. This therapeutic approach aims to reduce pain and inflammation by using specialised ANF Devices applied to specific points on the body, aiming to optimise neurological communication. By enhancing cellular communication, ANF Therapy®️ helps improve tissue recovery, decrease inflammation, and relieve tension in affected areas. It supports the body’s natural healing processes without medications or surgical interventions. Many patients report significant improvements in mobility and pain relief from the initial session, making ANF Therapy®️.
It involves the following steps:
History:
To diagnose enthesopathy, your ANF Therapist will first take a detailed history of your disease, including:
- Active complaints
- Where exactly do you feel pain or discomfort?
- What is your occupational history and daily routine?
- Any treatment history
- Previous history of surgery and trauma
Physical examination:
During the physical examination, your ANF Therapists will inspect your joints to assess for any swelling and tenderness in the affected area. They will also evaluate muscle strength at the site and check the range of motion to ensure proper function and mobility. This comprehensive approach allows the therapist to pinpoint areas of inflammation and dysfunction, helping to create an individualised treatment plan according to your needs.
Applications of ANF Devices:
After taking a history and physical examination, a treatment plan is made according to your needs. Your ANF Therapists will apply different types of ANF Devices to the affected areas of your body. These devices aim to help in:
- Decreasing inflammation on the affected side
- Promote healing
- Improve blood circulation
- Strengthen your neurological signals and biochemical functions
Expected outcome:
According to Dr. Mikel H-G Hoff, most patients feel immediate relief and improved range of motion soon after applying ANF Devices. However, the response of ANF Devices can vary from person to person, depending on the severity of the disease.
Follow-up:
Regular follow-ups are essential in treating enthesopathy to check the efficacy of ANF Devices and to see improvement in range of motion. Your ANF Therapist will guide you on the number of follow-up sessions and treatment duration. You will need to change ANF Devices after 72 hours. Your therapist will create a personalised treatment plan for you and educate you about these changes.
Start your journey with ANF Therapy®️:
ANF Therapy®️ offers an innovative tool for managing enthesopathy. If you’re suffering from enthesopathy, consult an ANF Practitioner or find an ANF Therapist at https://www.anftherapy.com/find-clinic/to start your treatment with ANF Therapy®️ today!
If you’re a healthcare practitioner and want to enhance your clinical skills with frequency medicine, learn more about the ANF Therapy®️ and ANF Clinical education program by visiting www.anfacademy.com.
What are the complications of enthesopathy?
If enthesopathy goes untreated, it can result in complications like tears in the tendons or ligaments. These injuries can happen because of continuous strain or long-term inflammation. Plus, chronic inflammation may result in new bone formation at the enthesis, leading to bone spurs that can restrict movement.
FAQs:
What is the difference between entheses and enthesopathy?
Entheses are the sites where the tendon and ligaments attach to the bone. In contrast, Enthesopathy is a disease that involves this site and causes pain.
Is enthesopathy permanent?
Enthesopathy caused by trauma or overuse can be recovered permanently if diagnosed and treated early. You can manage it effectively with the help of ANF Therapy®️. Enthesopathy can cause complications if left untreated, leading to gait changes and joint stiffness.Is enthesopathy a disability?
Enthesopathy is not typically classified as a disability, but in severe cases, it can cause significant pain, reduced mobility, and functional impairment. It is estimated to contribute to 20% of disability cases, particularly in individuals with underlying inflammatory conditions.
What is the newest treatment of enthesopathy?
ANF Therapy®️ is the new and most effective treatment approach for enthesopathy. It is a frequency-based treatment that reduces inflammation and treats the underlying cause with frequency-charged ANF Devices.About ANF Therapy®️
ANF Therapy®️ uses circular ANF Devices, which are applied directly on the skin after palpation and assessment by a trained ANF Therapist following the ANF Therapy®️ Method, Patented Model no. U202030252, ES1259974.
The ANF Therapy®️ purpose is the alleviation of injury and pain within minutes.
Our aim is that the patient experiences a reduction of pain and swelling, an increase in range of motion, and an improvement in quality of life related to health. Non-transdermal, non-invasive device, NO needles or chemicals are used.
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