A tenotomy is a surgical act which involves the division of a
tendon
A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...
.
It and related procedures are also referred to as tendon release, tendon lengthening, and heel-cord release.
When it involves the
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...
, it is called "Achillotenotomy".
It has been used in the treatment of
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...
.
It has also been used for
hammer toe
A hammer toe or contracted toe is a deformity of the muscles and ligaments of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the second, third, fourth, or fifth toe causing it to be bent, resembling a hammer. In the early stage a flexible hammertoe is ...
.
As an alternative to SLAP lesion labral repair, the tendon of the long head of the bicep can be released.
Achilles tenotomy is commonly used as part of the
Ponseti Method
The Ponseti method is a manipulative technique that corrects congenital clubfoot without invasive surgery. It was developed by Ignacio Ponseti, Ignacio V. Ponseti of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, USA in the 1950s, and was repopul ...
of treating
clubfoot
Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of cases, clubfoot aff ...
.
See also
*
List of surgeries by type
Many surgical procedure names can be broken into parts to indicate the meaning. For example, in gastrectomy, "ectomy" is a suffix meaning the removal of a part of the body. "Gastro-" means stomach. Thus, ''gastrectomy'' refers to the surgical remo ...
References
{{Muscle/soft tissue procedures
Surgical procedures and techniques
Soft tissue