Hello! I have been a doctor for 21 years. My name is Georgy Olegovich Sapego. In this article, I will talk about tendon repair.
I am constantly asked about the treatment of epicondylitis, tendinitis and other tendon problems. The topic is literally painful, and many profit from it.
In fact, there are few ways to treat a sore tendon. Below I will list what really helps and has been worked out on a huge number of sick people. If something is not clear, ask below in the comments. You may not like what you read.
What is a tendon
A tendon connects muscles to bones. Understandably, when we try to move our bones too often, the tendon can get sore.
There are tendon ruptures and tears, as well as all sorts of tendinopathies and tendinitis (this is how the pain in the tendon is called). Here we will analyze tendonitis and tendinopathies. Their treatment is different from tears.
Nature miracle
If the tendon hurts, then it will hurt for a long time. Maybe even months. All these stories about how in the evening they tied leaves to a sore spot, and by the morning everything was gone - this is nonsense. Simply because the tendon is so arranged that even if it really wants to heal itself (and it doesn't want to), it physically cannot do it quickly.
Do you know why? Because a tendon is a very tightly packed rope. Blood penetrates into it with difficulty. Therefore, the recovery is delayed.
Nature conceived the tendon as a strong rope. This is an engineering marvel. On those who did not save this miracle, Nature took offense, waved her hand and does not help.
But we don't want to become victims of natural selection, do we? Therefore, we will deceive Nature and restore the tendon.
As it will be
Tendon repair can take 3 to 4 months. And let me remind you once again that here we are not talking about a torn tendon (it's even worse there), but just a slightly worn one.
If the tendon is started to heal, move, and exercise, the pain may worsen. This frightens many, but here remember Nature, which does not really want to help you. We will deceive her and launch the correct recovery process.
Water and fluidity
Normal healthy tendons have a lot of water. The tendon itself is made up of collagen fibers. The very collagen that cosmetologists talk about. Like if this collagen is swollen from water and moist, then the skin will be elastic. It's the same with the tendons. If there is water around the collagen fibers inside the tendons, then the tendon is elastic. It stretches and contracts like a spring.
Everything deteriorates with repeated movements. If we constantly pull the tendons over and over again, then the water is squeezed out of them. Literally squeezed out of a rag.
The tendon becomes fluid without water. Collagen fibers stretch but cannot shrink. They all stretch and stretch... And then they will break.
That is why the therapeutic load on the tendons should be increased gradually. Any sudden jerking motion can tear the aching tendon.
Weight and resistance
Slow exercises with sufficient weight or resistance are suggested to repair the tendons. It can be painful, but it forces the tendon to heal. It is difficult, and without a physical therapy instructor, there will be little benefit.
Stretching
The value of stretching for the prevention and treatment of injuries is greatly overestimated.
Stretching helps to relax the spasmodic muscles on the sore tendon and lengthen the tendon itself (if it hurts for a long time, it becomes thick and short).
Only warmed up muscles can be stretched. If you stretch cold muscles, they lose strength and can be damaged. They warm the muscles with work. It is enough to move large muscles for 5 minutes, and they will warm up the whole leg or the whole arm at once.
What's next
Nothing further. None of the popular treatments, from cold and ointments, to shock wave therapy and self-plasma, help. At least so far there is no convincing evidence of the effectiveness of all other methods. Disappointed?
