Musculoskeletal

Tendinopathy

Tendinopathy is a broad term encompassing painful conditions occurring in and around tendons in response to overuse. It includes both inflammatory tendinitis and degenerative tendinosis. Common locations include the Achilles tendon, patellar tendon (jumper's knee), rotator cuff, lateral elbow (tennis elbow), and medial elbow (golfer's elbow).

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Symptoms

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Causes

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Treatments

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Prevention

Condition Overview

Understand key symptoms, causes, diagnosis options, and treatment pathways for Tendinopathy. This overview is intended for patient awareness and should be followed by specialist consultation.

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Symptoms

  • Localized tendon pain, especially with activity
  • Stiffness after periods of inactivity
  • Tenderness on palpation
  • Pain that is worse at the start of exercise and improves
  • Gradual onset in overuse cases

Causes

  • Repetitive mechanical loading beyond tissue tolerance
  • Sudden increase in training volume or intensity
  • Biomechanical factors
  • Aging changes in collagen

Diagnosis

  • Clinical examination
  • Ultrasound (most useful for diagnosis and monitoring)
  • MRI for complex cases

Treatment

  • Load management and activity modification
  • Eccentric and heavy slow resistance exercises
  • Physical therapy
  • Shockwave therapy
  • PRP injections
  • Corticosteroid injections (short-term)
  • Surgery (rare)

Risk Factors

  • Age
  • Sudden increase in physical activity
  • Stiff ankle or foot
  • Weak hip and gluteal muscles
  • Metabolic conditions (diabetes, dyslipidemia)

Prevention

  • Gradual training progression
  • Adequate recovery time
  • Strength and conditioning
  • Address biomechanical issues

Prevalence

Extremely common; patellar tendinopathy affects 14% of recreational athletes; Achilles tendinopathy up to 9% of the general population.

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