TENDINOPATHY AND A PREVENTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE S&C

PROFESSIONAL- PART 1

What is Tendinopathy & Tendinitis?

Tendinopathy is a pathological condition that occurs when a tendon is repeatedly injured or a

form of overuse injury. The most commonly affected tendons are Achilles tendon and the
extensor tendon of the forearm.

Tendinitis is the first stage leads to tendinopathy, when a tendon is constantly stressed then the
result will be a inflamed tendon which requires rest and the cessation of the movement which
aggravates the pain.

Three stage leads to degenerative tendinopathy

First stage- Tendinitis

 Due to the injury, inflammation causes the tendon to be swollen, warm and tender to
touch.
 Collagen and the ground substance of the tendon do not change at this stage and the
tendon can come back to its original stage if it is treated with the RICE principle.

Second stage- Tendon disrepair

 Here, the repetitive action is still affecting the tendon and the healing process.
 Collagen is necessary for tendon repair. It will be compromised if excessive stress is
placed on it during the healing process, if it continues then the tendon will undergo
chronic loading which further damages the tendon and eventually thicken due to
increased production of ground substance to repair.
 Pain may or may not be present.

Third stage- Degenerative tendinopathy

 In this stage, the tendon’s collagen and the ground substance continues to break down
and can cause cellular degradation and cell death. Once the cells in collagen die then it
can’t be replaced.
 If the stress on the tendon is not removed, then the tendon will rupture.
 Constant dull ache will be felt even if the tendon is not used; the pain can be felt during
the concentric movements.
 In the final stage of degradation, it is difficult for the tendon to come back to its
original stage prior injury.