Looking After Your Tendons!!!

Do you know what tendons do and why they get injured?

Tendons have three key functions: attaching muscles to bones: transmitting forces from tendon to bone and storing energy. Tendons are made up of water, collagen and are imbedded within a nourishing matrix.

Interestingly they tend to get injured when we suddenly increase the demands we put on them, i.e. they do not like sudden increase or decrease in loading. An example of this would be training for a running event and suddenly increasing the mileage without having enough rest days or starting faster loading such as speed work. If we make sudden changes the tendons tend to become disorganised as they try to adapt to the change in loading and become painful. Ignoring the pain and continuing can often lead to longer term problems.

Like everything tendons will naturally become less resilient as all our other collagen based structures such as skin as we increase in years. Therefore within the clinic the average age for tendon pathology would be between 35-55 years old.

What can I do to help my tendon pain feel better?

The most up to date research on tendinopathy suggests that modifying activity, with pain modulation and progressive loading is the best approach

to get your tendons ready for the demands your lifestyle requires.

This is not an overnight fix and requires input from your experienced Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and your compliance with the loading suggested.

The research would suggest a 3-6 month rehabilitation to full function, but this is progressive and there are things we can do to help with the pain much quicker than this.

Who gets tendon pain?

There are a few systemic conditions that make you more likely to get tendon pathology and that can make the rehabilitation slower: perimenopausal women: obesity: diabetics. However anyone who changes the loading demand on tendons can get pain.....

What will happen at my Physiotherapist Session?

At Jill Kerr Physiotherapy, Morningside, Edinburgh we will perform a detailed assessment diagnosing your tendon pathology, ruling out other possible associated conditions/pathologies, look for any other contributing factors, explain what is happening, commence treatment to help with pain control and start you on your specific rehabilitation tendon loading programme. We will then monitor you to full recovery.

So if your tendons have been sore for a few day, weeks, months or years we will be able to assess and advise and get you started on the road to recovery....

Call: 0131 447 9990 or BOOK ONLINE