Tendinopathies, often known as tendinitis, is a disorder of the muscles and tendons within our body. This can result in pain upon muscle contraction, as well as stretching of the joint. These disorders can be caused by either chronic overuse (such as repetitive factory work) or by too high loads being put on a tendon (like sprinting a “straining” a hamstring). Because tendinopathies are essentially microscopic tears within a tendon, excess levels of weight lifting and stretching can actually increase the pain caused by this disease.

So what do we do about tendinopathies?

– Exercise smarter: because excess levels of lifting and stretching can increase the amount of damage within a tendon, it is important to proceed with caution with an exercise intervention. Strength training specifically with eccentric muscle contractions have been shown to be particularly effective at accelerating the healing process. This exercise should not be painful.

– Eat well: eating a well balanced diet will ensure overall tendon health, which will help reduce your risk of developing a tendinopathy in the future.

Visit liveyourfit.ca to help in tendinopathy prevention today.

Loiacono C, Palermi S, Massa B, Belviso I, Romano V, Gregorio AD, Sirico F, Sacco AM. Tendinopathy: Pathophysiology, Therapeutic Options, and Role of Nutraceutics. A Narrative Literature Review. Medicina (Kaunas). 2019 Aug 7;55(8):447. doi: 10.3390/medicina55080447. PMID: 31394838; PMCID: PMC6723894.