Statin Use and Tendon Injuries

Statin medications have been prescribed for people with cholesterol problems long enough for generics to be available. During this time there have been varying reports with regard to their benefits as well as their dangers. Most doctors know to look for liver problems and muscle pain and fatigue.
Recently, while researching treatment for tendon injuries I read an article published in Arthritis Care Research in 2008 that discusses tendon injuries that include tendinitis, and possible tendon rupture associated with the use of statin medications. This is important information for all the weekend warriors taking these medications who are playing racquet sports, runners, golfers, and others. These side effects occurred with all the statins—atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin. What is most convincing is that “problems such as walking, decreased range of motion, bruising, and pain cleared up or improved after stopping the drugs and recurred” in some patients who were restarted on statins.
If you are interested in exploring lipid treatment alternatives to statin therapy, there are diet changes and nutritional supplements that are sufficient most of the time. If you have injured tendons and ligaments, your body can be encouraged to regrow them with platelet-rich plasma and prolozone injections.
About Dr. Hal S Blatman – Blatman Health and Wellness Center – Cincinnati, Ohio
Hal S. Blatman, MD is the founder and medical director of the Blatman Health and Wellness Center, and a nationally recognized specialist in treating myofascial pain. He is credentialed in Pain Management and Board Certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine and in Integrative Holistic Medicine.