Tendinopathy, which is accompanied by structural changes to the tendon, is a common sporting injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a nutritional supplement containing mucopolysaccharides, type I collagen and vitamin C (TendoactiveTM) on the clinical and structural evolution of tendinopathies of the Achilles tendon, patellar tendon and lateral epicondyle tendon in the elbow.

A multicenter, open-label, non-comparative, prospective, exploratory phase iv study was performed. A total of 98 tendinopathy patients (32 Achilles, 32 patellar and 34 lateral epicondylar), who received a daily dose of 435 mg mucopolysaccharides, 75 mg type i collagen and 60 mg vitamin C (equivalent to three capsules of TendoactiveTM per day) for 90 consecutive days, were included. Every month, pain at rest and when active was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS), joint function was assessed using the VISA-A, VISA-P and PRTEE questionnaires, and the tendon affected was characterized by ultrasound.

A significant reduction in pain both at rest and when active was observed between the first control visit (day 30) and the end of the study (day 90) for all three types of tendinopathy. Thus, a 38% improvement in VISA-A, 46% in VISA-P and 77% in PRTEE was observed on day 90 (P < .001). Similarly, a 12% decrease in the thickness of the Achilles tendon, a 10% decrease in the patellar tendon and a 20% decrease in the lateral epicondyle tendon was observed (P < .05).

The results of this study show that the administration of TendoactiveTM is safe and effective for improving the clinical symptoms and structural evolution of tendinopathies of the Achilles, patella and lateral epicondyle tendons.