Tendonitis is from "under usage"

This is not medical advice.

Photo by Zhang Kenny on Unsplash

Not “over usage”, which is the common definition. Ultimately we are injured when we are not strong enough to overcome forces in our environment. If we under use our muscles, and are not strong enough, the pain is partially a message to stop. We should stop with the warning, but that message is also to inform us that we need to be stronger for that activity in the future.

The Cleveland Clinic said it is associated with “repetitive activity.” Weight lifting is a repetitive activity, yet that doesn’t cause tendonitis, in fact it helps to prevent it.

Anecdotally, I have not seen fit people with tendonitis. It is extremely rare for a body builder to see us for therapy. And they lift heavy weights every day, going to the point of failure.

Yes, some of them are on pharmaceuticals that help decrease the likelihood of tendonitis, yet that is not the main reason. The main reason is their muscles and tendons are conditioned for resistance.

While I generally don’t have patients push through tendonitis pain, I do gradually increase weight over time to decrease symptoms. That is the long term solution.

Some band aides

I like massage for decreasing these symptoms, but that is only 5-10% of the time spent with the patient. The majority of the time is spent weightlifting.

This article goes into greater depth about the whole routine.