Tendon injuries are frequent and the surgical interventions towards their treatment might result in significant clinical complications. Pretendinous adhesion results in the disruption of normal gliding mechanism of a damaged tendon, painful movements and increased chance of re-rupture in future and one of the most common postsurgical complications. To alleviate postsurgical tendon-sheath adhesions, many investigations have been directed towards the development of repair approaches using electrospun nanofiber scaffolds. Such methods mainly take advantage of nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) as physical barriers to prevent or minimize adhesion of a repaired tendon to its surrounding sheath. In addition, these nanofibers can also locally deliver anti-adhesion and anti-inflammatory agents to reduce the risk of tendon adhesion. This article reviews recent advances on the design, fabrication and characterization of nanofibrous membranes developed to serve as: (i) biomimetic tendon sheath and (ii) physical barriers. Various features of the membranes are discussed to present insights for further development of repair methods suitable for clinical practice.

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