Tendinopathy (Tendinitis)
A tendon is a strong and flexible tissue, like a rope, that connects your muscles to your bones. Tendons are injured in two main ways: by overuse or traumatically (suddenly). Most tendon injuries occur because of overloading – causing pain, inflammation, or degeneration. But they can also occur via overstretching of a tendon leading to a sudden tear, much like how it occurs within a muscle. This can range in severity, from a small tear to a complete rupture of the tendon.
Although commonly known as tendinitis, we now use the term tendinopathy because this is an umbrella term for many different types of tendon issues, which are managed differently.
Although any tendon in the body can be affected, the most commonly involved areas are:
- Achilles tendon
- Rotator cuff tendons in the shoulder
- Elbow – tennis and golfer’s elbow
- Patellar tendon in the knee
It is important to know that whilst an initial period of offloading the tendon is important, tendinopathy rarely resolves solely with rest. You may find that the pain may settle but returning to activity is often painful again. This is due a lack of strength and resilience within the tendon. Which is we specific exercise is the most evidence-based treatment for tendinopathy. We will provide you with a structured treatment and personalised exercise programme aiming to gradually increase the ability to load the tendon.
Although usually easy to diagnose via your symptoms and physiotherapy testing, the use of Diagnostic Ultrasound Scanning can be extremely beneficial when starting physiotherapy for tendinopathy. This allows much more accurate diagnosis of the tendon involved and whether there are any tears present within the painful tendon, which may change the management of it. It is also good to scan the tendon before starting treatment, and then again following a course of physiotherapy to visibly see the positive changes in the tendon. Read more about Diagnostic Ultrasound Scanning here.
In-clinic, we often use Radial Shockwave Therapy to treat tendinopathy. Research has found that 3-5 sessions of this, alongside a graded strengthening programme, is highly effective in treatment even stubborn tendon problems. Click here to read more about Radial Shockwave Therapy. If symptoms do not settle with conservative management, the next stage of treatment would normally be to administer an Ultrasound-guided Injection, which you can read about here.
