Okay, Google "eccentric AND tendonitis" (or "tendonosis") -- there's a tonne of research saying that eccentric exercise seems to be able to fix chronic tendon problems.
It worked like magic when I started getting elbow tendon problems from climbing, and I've just started seeing if I can use it to ward off some finger tendon tweakiness.
Basically, "eccentric" exercise is the phase of an exercise where the muscle has to work while lengthening -- i.e. the stage when you're lowering a weight to the ground, rather than lifting it (the "concentric" phase).
The protocol for tendonitis is usually along the lines of: identify the muscle attached to the cranky tendon, then do only the eccentric phase of the exercise (using whatever means necessary to handle the other phase -- so you might raise a weight with both hands, then lower it with one). And do this slowly, with substantial weight.
Anyway, I am not a doctor or physio, check in with someone who is before you do anything, etc. etc.. But it's good stuff, and as MacLeod says, it seem to be able to literally remodel the tendon structure. Which is very cool.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-02-11 05:39 pm (UTC)It worked like magic when I started getting elbow tendon problems from climbing, and I've just started seeing if I can use it to ward off some finger tendon tweakiness.
Basically, "eccentric" exercise is the phase of an exercise where the muscle has to work while lengthening -- i.e. the stage when you're lowering a weight to the ground, rather than lifting it (the "concentric" phase).
The protocol for tendonitis is usually along the lines of: identify the muscle attached to the cranky tendon, then do only the eccentric phase of the exercise (using whatever means necessary to handle the other phase -- so you might raise a weight with both hands, then lower it with one). And do this slowly, with substantial weight.
Dave MacLeod has a review of some of the research here (in the context of elbow problems).
Anyway, I am not a doctor or physio, check in with someone who is before you do anything, etc. etc.. But it's good stuff, and as MacLeod says, it seem to be able to literally remodel the tendon structure. Which is very cool.