Persistent tendinopathy review finds differences in pain-related thinking and mood
The review reported higher pain catastrophizing overall and higher depression and anxiety scores in comparisons involving persistent lower-limb tendinopathy.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
People with persistent tendinopathy scored higher on pain catastrophizing, meaning negative thoughts about pain, than controls without tendinopathy. Depression and anxiety scores were also higher in lower-limb studies. Several other psychological measures showed no detected differences. These comparisons describe associations and cannot establish whether psychological factors precede tendon problems, follow them, or reflect other influences.
The abstract's mental-health estimate conflicts with its confidence interval, preventing reliable numerical interpretation of that result. It also omits assessment timing and final evidence-certainty ratings.
What researchers found
Pain catastrophizing
People with persistent tendinopathy versus controls without tendinopathy, pooled across tendon sites; assessment timing was not reported.
What the abstract compared
The researchers pooled psychological measures across tendon sites, then examined upper and lower limbs separately. The reported depression and anxiety differences concern lower-limb tendinopathy, so those findings should not automatically extend to other sites.
Where differences were unclear
No differences were detected in fear of movement, general self-efficacy, extraversion, or neuroticism. These results do not prove equivalence. The review describes a mixed psychological profile, with findings differing across measures.
The original publication
Differences in Psychological Factors Between People With Persistent Tendinopathy and Those Without Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.
Mest J, Flood A, Toufexis C et al.
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41308022
- Record checked
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