Tendonitis is the painful inflammation of a tendon. When you're concerned with building muscle, it's easy to forget about tendons until they begin hurting. They grow slowly compared to muscle, are visually unimpressive and don't contract. But when it comes to gaining strength and size, healthy tendons are just as important as large, healthy muscles. Tendons anchor the muscle so, in reality, you're only as strong as your tendons.
How Tendonitis Develops
Tendonitis is caused by repetitive movement that eventually aggravates a tendon, notes the MayoClinic.com website. Many forms of tendonitis are named after the sport in which they're typically seen, such as in the term "tennis elbow." It's an especially common ailment in weight lifters. As a weight lifter, you push your muscles to their limits to force them to grow bigger and stronger, but you're also testing your bone and tendon strength. The "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding" notes that while the dull pain of delayed onset muscle soreness is a good thing because it indicates your muscles are trying to grow stronger, the sharper pain of tendonitis is bad.
Treating Tendonitis
The MayoClinic.com website gives home tendonitis treatment an acronym: P.R.I.C.E. That stands for protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation. This means that you need to immobilize the area, stop performing the movement that is irritating it, apply ice to the area to reduce inflammation, and compress and elevate to further reduce swelling and inflammation. For the weight lifter, the problem is that tendonitis can take a long time to heal, and you want to continue to exercise to avoid losing muscle. Many times tendonitis is caused by joints being locked into a suboptimal path. Try switching to all dumbbell exercises to work the affected muscle group. If this doesn't trigger tendonitis pain, it could allow you to continue to work as your body heals. Focus on developing other areas of your physique. The important thing is to not push through the pain. What can initially be treated with P.R.I.C.E. will later need to be treated with surgery if you don't allow your body to heal.
Preventing Tendonitis
Tendonitis is especially a problem for beginning weight lifters. This is because muscle strength builds much faster than tendon strength. In the first few years, lay the foundation of good tendon strength by following perfect form. Stay primarily in the rep range of eight and more. Don't try to follow the weight lifting routines of those who use steroids. They often lift with a higher volume than a natural lifter's body can't handle. Remember, tendonitis often is caused by repetitive motion. Start out with compound lifts that create basic strength and mass without dozens of exercises. And always warm up with aerobic exercise and then light sets before your working sets.
Special Danger: The Shoulders
In the exercise science text "Strength Training Anatomy," Frederic Delavier explains that the human shoulder joint is complex and sensitive. To achieve the range of motion our upper bodies have, the shoulder is loosely put together, rather than being a hinge joint or even a ball-and-socket joint. There are many connection points and many tendons that can become inflamed, which is why it is such a problem area for athletes. Before doing shoulder or chest workouts, warm up the shoulders thoroughly. Perform exercises specifically intended to strengthen the rotator cuffs in ways that standard lifting typically misses: external rotators, lying external rotators and lying lateral raises. And never push through sharp shoulder pain.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Tendinitis; November 4, 2009
- "Strength Training Anatomy 3rd Ed."; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
