Flexor tendon physiology: tendon nutrition and cellular activity in injury and repair.

Scientific studies of the past 20 years have done much to redefine the mechanisms by which flexor tendons heal. Several points have become increasingly clear: Flexor tendons are nourished to a greater extent by synovial fluid diffusion than vascular perfusion. Tendon cells are capable of proliferating, producing collagen, and reconstructing their own gliding surface in the absence of adhesion ingrowth. The key to a successful outcome after flexor tendon repair appears to be an early restoration of tendon continuity, reconstruction of the sheath, if possible, and early passive mobilization. This complex stimulates the tendon's intrinsic repair potential, which is contained within the cells of the tendon itself but appears to be expressed only under ideal experimental and clinical situations.