The medical literature reveals an identifiable definition for tendonitis and tendinosis. The latter pertaining to what most people experience when they are experiencing symptoms that can be related to a "repetitive stress injury."
This can be caused by an injury moment where someone feels a sharp, sudden pain that could potentially be associated with a "pop." However, even when there is not an identifiable "injury moment" that can help us understand how the problem started - the takeaway is that performing similar motions over and over again can result in breakdown of tissues that cause micro-tears and inflammatory responses. If the breakdown occurs at a faster rate than the repair process (aka healing and recovery) then the result will be a "fraying" of the tissue. The picture at the top of this page reveals a visual personification of how the rope begins to fray due to the individual layers slowly breaking away from each other. This analogy is helpful because it is relatively accurate for how our bodies endure micro fraying in tendons that will inevitably lead to inflammation - when that process is not repaired adequately, the result is more fraying and more inflammation. When this becomes a chronic process, we define and identify that as "tendinosis."
Once the architecture of the body has altered our ability to repair naturally, we are left with a constant process of inadequate remodeling. The result in layman's terms: your body breaks down faster than it repairs.
When researching within the medical community, this process has character traits that make it easier to evaluate, which is necessary for proper treatment.
"Tendinosis is a degeneration of the tendon’s collagen in response to chronic overuse; when overuse is continued without giving the tendon time to heal and rest, such as with repetitive strain injury, tendinosis results. Even tiny movements, such as clicking a mouse, can cause tendinosis, when done repeatedly."
This is what makes accurate diagnosis so important! One key element in tendinitis/tendinosis cases is a combination of functional assessments and diagnostic imaging (such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI or Musculoskeletal Ultrasound MSK US). These can help illuminate pathology such as partial tears within the tissues, myofascial adhesions surrounding pain regions and other architectural changes - which can be visualized to enhance the understanding of what types of strategies are best suited for that particular case.
If you think that you may be suffering from a form of this, then please make sure you get it addressed. The common areas this can happen are listed below:
Lower Extremity (Hip, Knee, Ankle, Foot)
This can be caused by an injury moment where someone feels a sharp, sudden pain that could potentially be associated with a "pop." However, even when there is not an identifiable "injury moment" that can help us understand how the problem started - the takeaway is that performing similar motions over and over again can result in breakdown of tissues that cause micro-tears and inflammatory responses. If the breakdown occurs at a faster rate than the repair process (aka healing and recovery) then the result will be a "fraying" of the tissue. The picture at the top of this page reveals a visual personification of how the rope begins to fray due to the individual layers slowly breaking away from each other. This analogy is helpful because it is relatively accurate for how our bodies endure micro fraying in tendons that will inevitably lead to inflammation - when that process is not repaired adequately, the result is more fraying and more inflammation. When this becomes a chronic process, we define and identify that as "tendinosis."
Once the architecture of the body has altered our ability to repair naturally, we are left with a constant process of inadequate remodeling. The result in layman's terms: your body breaks down faster than it repairs.
When researching within the medical community, this process has character traits that make it easier to evaluate, which is necessary for proper treatment.
"Tendinosis is a degeneration of the tendon’s collagen in response to chronic overuse; when overuse is continued without giving the tendon time to heal and rest, such as with repetitive strain injury, tendinosis results. Even tiny movements, such as clicking a mouse, can cause tendinosis, when done repeatedly."
This is what makes accurate diagnosis so important! One key element in tendinitis/tendinosis cases is a combination of functional assessments and diagnostic imaging (such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI or Musculoskeletal Ultrasound MSK US). These can help illuminate pathology such as partial tears within the tissues, myofascial adhesions surrounding pain regions and other architectural changes - which can be visualized to enhance the understanding of what types of strategies are best suited for that particular case.
If you think that you may be suffering from a form of this, then please make sure you get it addressed. The common areas this can happen are listed below:
Lower Extremity (Hip, Knee, Ankle, Foot)
- Achilles Tendon
- Plantar Fascia
- Patellar Tendon
- Quad Tendon (distal or proximal)
- IT Band (with or without TFL)
- Gluteus Medius Tendon
- Spinal Tendons
- Cervical
- Thoracic
- Lumbar
- Extraspinal Tissues
- Myofascial Slings
- Rotator Cuff Tendon
- Biceps Tendon
- Elbow Flexor/Extensor Tendons
- Wrist Tendon
- Thumb Tendon
Plantar Fasciitis
This can be a painful and stubborn condition that persists for weeks or months at a time.
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