No athlete wants to hear the dreaded words that they have a diagnosis that could limit their activity, but it is important to know what to expect when facing downtime.
Tendonitis isn’t an unfamiliar affliction for most active people. In fact, however, increasingly, we find that tendonosis is more responsible for chronic issues than tendonitis.
Tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendon and results from micro-tears that happen when the musculotendinous unit is acutely overloaded with a tensile force that is too heavy and/or too sudden. It is often signaled by pain and burning in the affected area, decreased strength and flexibility, and pain caused by everyday activities.
Tendonosis, in comparison, is a degeneration of the tendon’s collagen in response to chronic overuse. If tendonitis is ignored, and the overload is continued, it will become tendonosis. Even tiny movements, such as clicking a mouse, can cause tendonosis, when done repeatedly.
An athlete receiving either diagnosis most likely has the same resulting question, “Okay, so how long until I recover?”
The most important reason to distinguish between tendonitis and tendonosis is the differing treatment goals and timelines. CSC provides a differing set of treatments to assist in healing both conditions. To restore proper motion to an aggravated muscle and tendon we perform Active Release Therapy, IFC, joint adjustments and rehab exercises. For a chronic condition like tendonosis restoring blood flow is the key, we have other options that can get deeper into the problem, dry needling, electrons plus or instrument- assisted soft tissue mobilization. Proper nutrition is necessary for the condition to heal and not reoccur. Supplementation may be necessary especially during the treatment phase of healing.
Active recovery is the key. Full recovery takes time, but we will keep you training with modifications to help get to your goals. Because of the chronic nature of the condition, tendonosis recovery will take longer.
As with most usage injuries, prevention and proper therapy are key. Our staff of chiropractors, massage therapist, fascial therapist, and physical therapists are specially trained to treat both tendonitis and tendonosis with efficiency. Our team is comprised of athletes, and as such, our goal is to offer you exactly what we’d want for ourselves: limited down time, maximum recovery, and long term success.