How to look after your tendons

Tendons are found throughout the body, connecting your muscles to your bones and serving the purpose of movement. Examples include the Achilles tendon at the heel. The rotator cuff tendons in the shoulder. The patella tendon at the knee cap, and a great many more. Wherever you find a muscle you will find a tendon. Their job is to transmit force. To stretch and recoil like a spring.

Tendons are incredibly strong but they can become problematic, and painful. Tendon injuries often start slowly and quietly, a niggle, a tweak or a twinge. Until one day you notice it every time you walk up stairs… or carry the shopping… or swing a racket.

Tendon injuries, or tendinopathies, are slow and stubborn. But they’re also highly treatable.

And the story of how they recover is really a story of how we load, move, and adapt over time.

 What Is Tendinopathy?

Tendinopathy is the body’s protest against too much load, too soon. Or too little load, for too long. It's not inflammation or a tear. It's a structural adaptation that didn't go quite right.

Tendons don’t like sudden change.

Think:

• A burst of weekend DIY out of nowhere.

• Signing up for a half-marathon with two weeks of training.

• Swapping your desk job for long hours on a ladder.

That’s when they protest, with stiffness, soreness, or pain that’s worse the morning after.

Tendons respond to consistent, gradual loading.

Tendons Age Like We Do

Like us, tendons change with age. They become less elastic, less forgiving.

They recover more slowly. They need longer warm-ups, more deliberate strength work, and more careful recovery. This doesn’t mean they’re doomed. They just need to be looked after sensibly. You don’t have to stop being active. You just have to be smarter about how you stay active.

How to look after your tendons.

The best treatment for tendon pain?

Loading.

But not just any loading. It has to be just right, not too much, not too little.

This is what physios mean when we talk about optimal loading and load tolerance.

We’re helping the tendon adapt, remodel, and re-learn its job. This often involves slow, heavy strength work, done consistently. No quick fixes. But also, no need for panic.

Rest Isn’t the Answer

The old advice was to rest until the pain went away.

That might help in the short term but it leaves the tendon deconditioned and vulnerable.

What tendons need is movement, not avoidance.

But they also need recovery.

Load, then rest.

Stress, then repair.

So, How Do I Look After My Tendons?

• Stay strong. Strength training isn’t just for athletes, it’s medicine for tendons.

• Build up slowly. Don’t let enthusiasm outrun conditioning.

• Recover properly. Sleep, nutrition, and rest days all count.

• Don’t ignore the early signs. Nip the niggles before they become problems.

• Get guidance. A good physio can tailor a loading programme to your body and goals.

 In Summary

Tendons aren’t fragile, they’re adaptable.

They just need the right stimulus, at the right time, in the right dose.

With good guidance and a bit of patience, they recover beautifully.

So if you’re dealing with a stubborn tendon, don’t give up. Don’t shut down.

And definitely don’t rest it forever.

Get it strong. Get it working.

And let it bounce back, just like it was built to do.

MOVE. Physiotherapy Wrexham

📍 Wrexham, Wales

Expert help for tendon injuries and other MSK conditions.

Guiding your recovery with strength, clarity, and evidence-based care