Levaquin: Treating a Tendon Rupture
It’s devastating to be harmed by a medicine that you're taking in order to get well. But the fact is that every medicine functions on a trading of effects, with the hope that the therapeutic benefits outweigh the risks. However, in some cases, these risks are quite out of proportion to the benefits, as can be argued about the antibiotic Levaquin. This drug consistently has been linked to severe tendon rupture injuries; now the FDA has ordered that Levaquin carry its strongest black-box label warning about such dangers. A tendon rupture is no small thing, and the effects it can have on someone’s life, especially in terms of the treatments involved, can be overwhelming.
The first part of any treatment is, of course, diagnosis. A trained physician should evaluate potential ruptures through hands-on testing such as blood pressure tests or observation of movement. Other tests include more technical examinations, such as x-rays, ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests. X-rays might be augmented by arthography tests, which use a special dye that shows up on x-ray images. Each of these tests costs money, especially MRI examinations which can cost several thousand dollars at some facilities.
Actual treatments do depend on the severity of the injury. All doctors recommend the standard RICE treatment procedure — rest, ice, compression and elevation. However, the exact nature of the injury will determine what needs to be done. Quadriceps ruptures can be treated with an immobilizing device such as a brace or a cast. While surgery isn't the first choice, some ruptures that result from trauma can require it. It all depends on the doctor’s discretion and the degree of damage done. In addition, Achilles tendon ruptures have a tendency to re-rupture one out of every three cases. This can mean more treatment, more time spent recovering and still more money poured into the hospital, all for a medicine prescribed for an entirely different ailment.
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