| Relative rest and reduced activity prevent further damage and promote healing and pain relief. There are no clear recommendations for the duration of rest and avoidance of activity. | C | * |
| Cryotherapy provides acute relief of tendinopathy pain and its use is widely accepted. Repeated applications of melting ice water through a wet towel for 10-minute periods are most effective. | B | 14 |
| Eccentric strengthening is an effective treatment of tendinopathy and may reverse degenerative changes. | B | 15–17 |
| NSAIDs are recommended for short-term pain relief but have no effect on long-term outcomes. Topical NSAIDs are effective and may have fewer systemic side effects. It is unclear whether NSAIDs are better than other analgesics. | B | 18–20 |
| Locally injected corticosteroids may be more effective than oral NSAIDs in acute-phase pain relief but do not alter long-term outcomes. | B | 21–23 |
| No conclusive recommendations can be made for the use of orthotics and braces in patellar tendinopathy or elbow tendinopathy. Clinical experience and patient preference should guide therapy. | B | 24,25 |
| Therapeutic ultrasonography, corticosteroid iontophoresis, and phonophoresis are of uncertain benefit for tendinopathy. | B | 27,30 |
| Extracorporeal shock wave therapy appears to be a safe, noninvasive, effective but expensive means of pain relief for a number of chronic tendinopathies. | B | 28,29 |
| Surgery is an effective option in carefully selected patients who have failed three to six months of conservative therapy. | B | 31,32 |