Load: The Paradox of Tendon Recovery

Have you recently been dealing with a tendon injury? Common injury sites include the upper hamstring and biceps tendons, which are often characterized with a nagging, achy, pulling sensation at the sitting bone and the front of the shoulder respectively. Most of us have an instinctive reaction to rest, and this is a good way to allow the inflammation to die down. However, de-loading an injured tendon is not a good recovery strategy in the long run, and definitely not a strategy that gets you back to training at full capacity!

An injured tendon needs incremental loading in a controlled and safe manner in order to strengthen. In fact, stressing the tendon is what stimulates the healing process by encouraging the body to lay down collagen fibers in an orderly manner, so the tendon heals properly with minimal scar tissue. Load is what guides and informs this process; without it, the tissue fibers are laid down in a disorganized pattern, creating scar tissue. Scar tissue does not have the range of motion or tensile strength of healthy tendon tissue, and eventually creates improper movement patterns and imbalances in the joints which can lead to inefficient movement and recurring injury patterns.

Scar tissue does not have the range of motion or tensile strength of healthy tendon tissue...

If you have an injured tendon and this sounds overwhelming, then we can help! The trick is appropriate load management, and an individualized loading routine allows healing to take place in a safe and effective way, stimulating the repair process and getting you back on your training plan or back in the game. One of our highly qualified coaches - think of them as “load managers” - will provide daily guidance and support to make sure you’re progressing safely. Applying proper amounts of tensile load to injured tendons is like an insurance policy against future injury, making sure it’s strong enough to handle movement and load in the joint.

Ready to get back on your feet and out of pain? Schedule a chat with one of our coaches here.