Tendonitis & Tendinosis
That nagging pain in your elbow, Achilles, patellar tendon, or rotator cuff isn't just "overuse" it's a tissue that's been loaded beyond its capacity to recover. Rest alone rarely fixes it. The right loading strategy does.
Tendonitis vs. tendinosis the difference matters.
Tendonitis (acute inflammation) and tendinosis (chronic degeneration without active inflammation) are often lumped together, but the treatment approach is meaningfully different. Anti-inflammatories help tendonitis. They don't help tendinosis and using them for a chronic tendon problem can actually delay healing.
Most people who come in with "tendonitis" that's been going on for months actually have tendinosis a breakdown in collagen structure from repetitive load without adequate recovery. The fix is progressive loading, soft tissue work to restore tissue quality, and addressing the movement faults that created the overload in the first place.
Acute inflammation
Recent onset, warmth, swelling. Responds to relative rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory care. Usually resolves in days to weeks.
Chronic degeneration
Months-long pain, no acute inflammation. Needs progressive tendon loading, tissue work, and movement correction to heal.
The ADAPT approach to tendon injuries
We don't just treat the painful tendon, we find out why it got overloaded. Faulty movement patterns, weakness upstream or downstream, and joint restrictions that shift load onto the tendon are almost always part of the picture.
Load assessment
Identify what's being overloaded, why, and what movement faults are contributing.
Tissue quality work
ART® and IASTM to improve tendon structure and break down adhesions limiting normal movement.
Progressive loading
Isometric and eccentric loading protocols that stimulate collagen formation without re-injuring the tendon.
Return to full activity
Sport- or activity-specific progression so you get back to training without a repeat injury.
Related conditions we treat
Ready to stop managing it and actually fix it?
Book your assessment in Coeur d'Alene. We'll identify the load fault, treat the tissue, and build a return-to-activity plan that actually holds.
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