Tendinopathy rehabilitation

1. The Best Ways to Manage and Treat Difficult Tendinopathy Tendons are the fibrous connective tissue that attaches the muscle to the bones or structures. This helps in making a bone or a structure’s movement possible. The presence of collagen, which is a complex protein structure, holds the tendons together. Tendinopathy is a condition that refers to the breakdown of the collagen as a result of degeneration. This can occur at any part of the body but usually observed in the hamstring, patellar, rotator cuff and in the achilles tendons. Tendinopathy - Diagnosis is the Key The diagnosis of tendinopathy is a crucial aspect in the treatment as this condition is often confused with tendinitis. Tendinitis is also a condition that occurs due to the inflammation in the tendons. Managing tendinopathy can be difficult for many as the symptoms of it are alike the ones of tendinitis.  The presence of pathoanatomical damages in the tendon can be misleading in the images.  Conceding the tendon as the source of pain just because the damage is found in it, can lead to an inappropriate treatment approach.  This is what makes differential diagnosis a critical factor in determining in fact the tendon is the source of the pain.

2.  Pain during or after a particular activity is a classic sign of tendinopathy and one of the common symptoms the neuromuscular rehabilitation or the orthopedic rehabilitation experts look forward to finding. A few patients might present the signs and symptoms that do not match with the common tendinopathy symptoms. In these cases, the therapist might scrap the earlier diagnosis and start a new process to get a more accurate diagnostic perspective. Rehabilitation for Tendinopathy The key goal in rehab for tendinopathy is that improving the capacity of the tendons to manage load and pressure. As tendons and muscles are a single functioning unit, the rehabilitation would be focused on both.  The rehab progression kicks off with the aim to reduce pain and gradually shifts to increasing strength.  These two stages in rehabilitation are considered as foundational to build functional strength and increase tendon power and flexibility.  As the rehabilitation progresses, the specialist continues with the strength training with gradual increase in load. The sessions will happen in the presence of an experienced rehab specialist in order to give no room for any training-related error. Here is a detailed look into each stage of rehab training for tendinopathy. Stage 1: Aim - Reduce Pain ❏ ❏  Severe pain is the most common complaint in tendinopathy and isometric exercises are ideal to reduce pain.  The rehab specialist will position the person in such a way that there is no tendon compression while maintaining muscle capacity and tendon load.

3.  Medications such as ibuprofen are prescribed to relieve pain and reduce reactive response of the tendon. Stage 2: Aim - Improve Strength ❏ ❏  Strengthening the tendons is an essential aspect in rehab as the muscle might lose strength and endurance without tendons ability to take load.  The phase includes exercising with low capacity loads on the muscle’s mid-range to bearable loads that do not affect the tendon compression.  Different types of eccentric, combined, and heavy slow resistance training sessions are employed to improve the tendon’s strength. Stage 3: Aim - Improving Functionality ❏ ❏  The day to day functions such as walking, taking care of one’s daily activities can be achieved by reducing pain and strengthening the tendons.  Endurance and improving the functionality of the affected tendons needs continuous rehab sessions.  The rehab specialist will focus on training that is aimed to improve the ability to perform a particular function. Tendinopathy rehab can be a complex process that requires differential diagnosis and rehabilitation by the experts. Exercises performed to increase the tendon’s load capacity are crucial and should be performed only in the presence of a qualified rehabilitation specialist. If you have been diagnosed with tendinopathy, book an appointment with JH rehabilitation in Chennai to avail therapy both as an inpatient rehabilitation service.