Hi all, let me ask you: have you ever given much thought to your tendons? A tendon is the flexible but inelastic cord of strong fibrous collagen tissue that attaches muscle to bone or other structure within the body (such as an eyeball).
Most injuries to tendons are the result of gradual wear and tear owing to overuse. While anyone can damage a tendon, people who perform repetitive motions in their daily jobs, activities, or sports are more susceptible.
While our tendons are designed to withstand high, repetitive loading, they become stressed when the load applied to them is too great to withstand. When tendons become stressed, they sustain small micro-tears. These micro-tears encourage swelling and inflammatory chemicals. If managed properly, these injuries can heal quite quickly.
This Week’s Top Tip: DIY Recovery
In most cases, tendon injury treatment can be performed at home. For the best results and quickest recovery time, try these steps:
i. Rest the afflicted area, avoiding any activity that seems to increase the pain.
ii. During the first seventy-two hour period, apply ice or cold packs for ten minutes or so at a time as frequently as twice an hour. Maintain this practice for as long as you find it helpful.
iii. Perform gentle range-of-motion exercises and stretching to prevent stiffness of the injured area.
Deb
#tendoninjury #repetitivestraininjury #movebetterforlife
