Hello Reader,

Welcome to Vol. 029 of The Endure EQ.

Every week you'll get a deep dive into a topic related to endurance training, maximizing your potential or reaching peak performance.

Let’s jump in.

The Tendon Volume

Tendon related issues can plague the best endurance athletes.

They are not to be feared though.

Today’s volume will help you understand everything about tendons, how they get injured and what to do to rehab them.

Tendon Issues

Tendon issues are common with endurance sports so helpful to know what it is and how you can manage.

Every case will be unique.

Every journey through rehab will be different.

These are the starting principles:

What is a tendon?

A tendon is connective tissue that connects muscle to bone.

When muscles contract tendons pull on the bone creating movement.

They also have a ton of nerves and can help with balance and stability (through proprioception).

Tendon Injuries

When we think of tendon issues they are generally classed as a tendonopathy.

Tendon = tendon

Opathy = problem (not real latin)

It’s old language to call injuries tendonitis as there is not much inflammation that occurs.

How do they occur?

There are 2 ways tendons are commonly injured:

• Under preparation
• ‘One big load’

With under-prep we are continually loading the tendon above it’s current capacity.

The other source would be one large load way above capacity.

Tendon injuries sit on a spectrum.

Which makes each injury unique.

The can fall between:

Healthy <-> reactive

The goal is not to stay too long in a reactive state because that can lead to bigger issues.

You can use rehab to shift back towards a healthy tendon.

Common Sites

There are some common sites to be aware of for triathletes:

• Achilles
• Peroneals
• Hamstrings
• Patellar
• Glutes
• Rotator cuff
• Biceps tendon

There are more tendons than this but these are the ones I see regularly.

How to recognize a tendon issue (the signs to be aware of):

1. They can ‘warm-up with training’.
2. They don’t change with rest, stretching, foam rolling
3. They are often pin-point.

You can’t make an exact diagnose with these but some signs to watch for.

Tendon Rehab (the starting points)

The starting point

If you suspect one what should you do:

Calm it down:

• ISOs
• Decrease load
• Cross train

Load it:

• ISOs
• Strength
• Sport specific

Return to play:

• Progressive
• Add volume
• Add speed/hills

Some things to avoid while managing tendon issues

• Avoid stretching and compression on the tendon
• Avoid NSAIDs and meds
• Avoid ice

These will only slow you down in the rehab process.

When to seek out rehab help:

1. Progressively gets worse
2. Symptoms remain unchanged
3. Cannot progress in your training

Find a rehab pro who can help guide you through building back into your sport of choice.

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Recap:

Tendonopathies are common in endurance sport.

And here’s 3 things to remember:

1. Adjust your training slowly.
2. Load your tendons.
3. Seek help if unchanged.

Happy Training and thank you for being here!

- Chandler

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