[Taiwan Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Annual Meeting 2026] [Ultrasound-Guided Simplified TAME for Plantar Fasciitis and Achilles Tendinopathy] [Academic Exchange]

In recent years, Transarterial Microembolization (TAME) has been applied to various types of chronic musculoskeletal pain, such as:

For conditions such as Knee osteoarthritis, Adhesive capsulitis, Lateral epicondylitis, and Plantar fasciitis, selective embolization (super-selevtive) of abnormal microvessels in the lesion area reduces chronic inflammation and pain signal sources.

In clinical applications, the originator, Dr. Yuji Okuno, has also gradually developed the US-guided simplified TAME/Dochu treatment using the ultrasound and blood flow signals to locate the pain area, simplifying the treatment process while maintaining its minimally invasive characteristics.

The presentation also shared a clinical case from Dr. Omodani, a Japanese ultrasound expert and orthopedic surgeon.

A track and field athlete suffered from Achilles tendinitis pain for four years, severely impacting his athletic performance. Dr. Omodani employed a multimodal integrated treatment strategy: Ultrasound-guided simplified TAME (ultrasound guided simplified pain relief embolization/injection therapy), Prolotherapy (glucose regenerative injection therapy), and Extracorporeal shockwave therapy. After comprehensive treatment, the patient's pain significantly improved, and he successfully returned to the field.

This case also demonstrates that the treatment of chronic tendon diseases may require a cross-disciplinary integrated strategy and may yield better results than a single treatment.

Besides sharing research and clinical experience, I was delighted to meet many outstanding experts in rehabilitation medicine and ultrasound during and after the conference. I exchanged experiences and ideas on chronic musculoskeletal pain management with Dr. Chiu Hsi-ting, Dr. Lin Chia-wei, and Dr. Su Jiong-rui, who were also present at the conference, and with Dean Chen Chih-chun, Dean Wang Chia-chi, and Professor Hsieh Lin-fen afterwards.

Medical progress often stems from exchange and collaboration between different fields. I look forward to more opportunities in the future to promote the application and research of image-guided minimally invasive treatment in chronic musculoskeletal diseases. Finally, I would like to thank all the organizers and inviting teachers and friends again.