Question for people who have had tendonitis issues.

[GolovKing]

In your experience do you usually dial your training all the way back to where you're doing just light physical therapy type stuff? Or do you keep training but at a lower intensity and just try to remove the exercises that seem to trigger pain?

 

[ASUThermo]

Adjust training as needed while keeping it as close to the plan as possible. Additional or modified warm up work and PT work usually accompanies it.

 

[vision1]

Remove/modify what's triggering

 

[Baby Hanma]

In your experience do you usually dial your training all the way back to where you're doing just light physical therapy type stuff? Or do you keep training but at a lower intensity and just try to remove the exercises that seem to trigger pain?

I've had severe tendinitis on my knees before and trained through it while still making squat PRs.

With that said though, it wasn't worth it. If you have tendinitis on any joint, it simply means you're abusing both training volume and training frequency with the same, non-joint friendly movement. If you avoid training altogether for two weeks, it'll go away.

 

[GolovKing]

I've had severe tendinitis on my knees before and trained through it while still making squat PRs.

With that said though, it wasn't worth it. If you have tendinitis on any joint, it simply means you're abusing both training volume and training frequency with the same, non-joint friendly movement. If you avoid training altogether for two weeks, it'll go away.

For me it won't go away that easy. I have the more chronic version, tendonosis I think is what they call it, where it's basically permanent and you just have to learn how to manage it. Have it in a few different areas of my body but mainly my shoulder is where it bothers me the most. Have had it for 11 years now, it comes and sometimes goes away for a bit but then returns. I haven't been able to crack the code on how to effectively manage it like some of the other parts of my body. Neither have the various physical therapists and doctors who I've spent a few grand on

 

[maximus__]

In your experience do you usually dial your training all the way back to where you're doing just light physical therapy type stuff? Or do you keep training but at a lower intensity and just try to remove the exercises that seem to trigger pain?

High rep band work works really well for me. The main issue with tendons is it takes so long to recover because of lack of blood flow. Think like you are basically chasing the pump with whatever exercise you choose. I usually find that paired with low rep strength work means I can still train pretty normally.

Same with isometric holds with bands or pushing against a bar in a rack. I had some forearm tendon issues. HArd isometric static curls at halfway did wonders for it. 6 sec,100% holds and higher rep work with lighter bands were a god send.

 

[maximus__]

For me it won't go away that easy. I have the more chronic version, tendonosis I think is what they call it, where it's basically permanent and you just have to learn how to manage it. Have it in a few different areas of my body but mainly my shoulder is where it bothers me the most. Have had it for 11 years now, it comes and sometimes goes away for a bit but then returns. I haven't been able to crack the code on how to effectively manage it like some of the other parts of my body. Neither have the various physical therapists and doctors who I've spent a few grand on

I am not sure how my advice would apply to shoulders.
I have subscap issues myself and the only thing that has worked has been hard massage when it flares up.

Maybe high rep facepulls and band pull aparts, but I can't think of an isometric hold for that area, that isn't just slow reps of those.

11 years is pretty chronic.

 

[GolovKing]

High rep band work works really well for me. The main issue with tendons is it takes so long to recover because of lack of blood flow. Think like you are basically chasing the pump with whatever exercise you choose. I usually find that paired with low rep strength work means I can still train pretty normally.

Same with isometric holds with bands or pushing against a bar in a rack. I had some forearm tendon issues. HArd isometric static curls at halfway did wonders for it. 6 sec,100% holds and higher rep work with lighter bands were a god send.

Do you think it would be a good idea also to shorten my rom? One thing I notice is that my shoulder gets really aggravated when doing something like a press or row or even a plank where my arms are stretched out fully extended in front of me. But when I stop short of that rom it doesn't really hurt as much

 

[GolovKing]

I am not sure how my advice would apply to shoulders.
I have subscap issues myself and the only thing that has worked has been hard massage when it flares up.

Maybe high rep facepulls and band pull aparts, but I can't think of an isometric hold for that area, that isn't just slow reps of those.

11 years is pretty chronic.

yea I tried the deep tissue massage stuff, and dry needling as well. it works for about an hour then goes back the way it was

 

[NoSmilez]

Do you think it would be a good idea also to shorten my rom? One thing I notice is that my shoulder gets really aggravated when doing something like a press or row or even a plank where my arms are stretched out fully extended in front of me. But when I stop short of that rom it doesn't really hurt as much

I was just going to suggest you change your ROM. I am starting to have the same issue. I am very close to removing bench press from the workout routine.

 

[maximus__]

Do you think it would be a good idea also to shorten my rom? One thing I notice is that my shoulder gets really aggravated when doing something like a press or row or even a plank where my arms are stretched out fully extended in front of me. But when I stop short of that rom it doesn't really hurt as much

I wouldn't necessarily shorten the ROM. I would find variations of those movements that don't cause pain but strengthen that area.

There is no way I can overhead press without issues when I have a flare up. The more I press overhead, the worse things will get. I can do close grip benchpress though with minimal issue. Focusing on hitting a heavier single or triple is also less aggravating than do a set of 8-10 which seems counter intuitive.

As a personal example with my forearm tendonitis issues, I was able to do chinups with half my bodyweight added, with less pain than if I did a set of 10+. I did a ring variation which made it so I had to pull harder with my forearms, but could adjust the angle at the start.

Finding variations of those movements that don't hurt might be an option, provided that's advised from therapists.

 

[maximus__]

yea I tried the deep tissue massage stuff, and dry needling as well. it works for about an hour then goes back the way it was

Dry needling is crap IMO. Therapists use it to avoid manual work.
Deep tissue massage followed by some actual patterning/ rehab work is what worked for me.
I do that rehab work daily at the minimum. It became my training warmup.

You have 11 years of pain, when you find what helps it, you will probably have to do it for life multiple times a day.

 

[ricc505]

I have some severe limitations. I worked back up to pretty good weights but started to feel pain, I dialed back and ultimately stopped going to the gym. I had issues letting go of weights and bars. I went body weight only exercises but pain crept in there too. I've lost a lot of muscle mass and tone. In my case any further damage will result in surgical fusions and it's not worth the risk for me. Good luck

 

[DEVILsSON]

For me it won't go away that easy. I have the more chronic version, tendonosis I think is what they call it, where it's basically permanent and you just have to learn how to manage it. Have it in a few different areas of my body but mainly my shoulder is where it bothers me the most. Have had it for 11 years now, it comes and sometimes goes away for a bit but then returns. I haven't been able to crack the code on how to effectively manage it like some of the other parts of my body. Neither have the various physical therapists and doctors who I've spent a few grand on

You can try a couple supplements:

1. High quality Cissus supplement. My go to is from BulkSupplements on Amazon but you can choose any number. A couple grams a day should help.

2. BPC157 peptide. When I had a chronic case of elbow tendinitis, pinning 1mg per day got rid of it within a couple weeks(although I used it for a couple months and then had to use it every so often when the tendinitis came back). TB500 is a good addition to BPC157 but still optional. You can also try the newer pill form of BPC157 arginate salt. 1mg per day could maybe help. I tried the older acetate pill form and got zero help(it only worked slightly when I did microneedling on the skin and then applied the powder from within the capsules with dmso gel). There's a few decent vendors where you can get it. PharmaLabGlobal is legitimate and moderately/well priced(especially during sales).

 

[Deaths Head]

In your experience do you usually dial your training all the way back to where you're doing just light physical therapy type stuff? Or do you keep training but at a lower intensity and just try to remove the exercises that seem to trigger pain?

I’ve never had any issues with joints unless I’m overtraining or just it’s inevitable bc I have to work through the punishment it requires but you a,ways have to dial it back at some point there’s many supplements out there to help , I rarely train at a lower intensity even at 50 I do all types of training that stresses the joints out I actually just started lifting normal again like doing full range motions and it hurts but I’ve already adapted to it from last week .

Always go by body feel don’t listen to anyone but yourself.

 

[GolovKing]

I wouldn't necessarily shorten the ROM. I would find variations of those movements that don't cause pain but strengthen that area.

There is no way I can overhead press without issues when I have a flare up. The more I press overhead, the worse things will get. I can do close grip benchpress though with minimal issue. Focusing on hitting a heavier single or triple is also less aggravating than do a set of 8-10 which seems counter intuitive.

As a personal example with my forearm tendonitis issues, I was able to do chinups with half my bodyweight added, with less pain than if I did a set of 10+. I did a ring variation which made it so I had to pull harder with my forearms, but could adjust the angle at the start.

Finding variations of those movements that don't hurt might be an option, provided that's advised from therapists.

For me oddly enough, a lot of the conventional beliefs like that overhead is worse than horizontal press or that close grip is easier on your shoulder than wider grip doesn't really hold true. I actually feel like horizontal stuff, like chest presses and rows are more aggravating on my shoulder than even overhead pressing. And when I have my grip in close it bothers me more as well and always makes a weird clicking noise in the back near my shoulder blade area

 

[GolovKing]

You can try a couple supplements:

1. High quality Cissus supplement. My go to is from BulkSupplements on Amazon but you can choose any number. A couple grams a day should help.

2. BPC157 peptide. When I had a chronic case of elbow tendinitis, pinning 1mg per day got rid of it within a couple weeks(although I used it for a couple months and then had to use it every so often when the tendinitis came back). TB500 is a good addition to BPC157 but still optional. You can also try the newer pill form of BPC157 arginate salt. 1mg per day could maybe help. I tried the older acetate pill form and got zero help(it only worked slightly when I did microneedling on the skin and then applied the powder from within the capsules with dmso gel). There's a few decent vendors where you can get it. PharmaLabGlobal is legitimate and moderately/well priced(especially during sales).

Do you think Cissus is better than glucosamine and collagen? I started taking that about a month ago but don't feel any different. With bpc 157 is it supposed to actually heal tissue or does it just make you feel better while you are taking it? I'm confused because I see many say it heals tissue but then a lot of people say once you stop taking it, your pain will creep back somehow

 

[maximus__]

For me oddly enough, a lot of the conventional beliefs like that overhead is worse than horizontal press or that close grip is easier on your shoulder than wider grip doesn't really hold true. I actually feel like horizontal stuff, like chest presses and rows are more aggravating on my shoulder than even overhead pressing. And when I have my grip in close it bothers me more as well and always makes a weird clicking noise in the back near my shoulder blade area

That's something to focus in on then. Maybe overhead work is your way out of the issue. Maybe you can use single arm overhead presses and pullups for example.

Ever seen these? They helped me initially get a heap of stability back. I did them with bands. Basically activated everything pres session, so I could feel what wasn't working.



I would just play around with variations and see what works. If chest presses and rows aggravate it, I wonder if you are letting your shoulder drop too far forward or stretching it.

Normally I would say do what the doc says, but it seems you have tried that already.

 

[Ara tech]

Healthy food, better longer warm ups, bulletproofing the joints with specific keys exercises.

Deloading, 3 weeks hard, 1 week light is a good policy for a month.

And swimming, swimming and swimming. Bone broth, bone broth, bone broth.

Cold water, cold water, cold water, if not showering, swimming in cold water.

Swimming is easy on the joints.

There are ways, there are tricks, you've go to know them. Knowledge is key. Good luck.

 

[DEVILsSON]

Do you think Cissus is better than glucosamine and collagen? I started taking that about a month ago but don't feel any different. With bpc 157 is it supposed to actually heal tissue or does it just make you feel better while you are taking it? I'm confused because I see many say it heals tissue but then a lot of people say once you stop taking it, your pain will creep back somehow

Glucosamine can help if you have damage to cartilage. There's also evidence it helps with lifespan/longevity. There's no evidence it helps with tendinitis or related conditions.

Collagen likewise is probably very limited in directly healing tendinitis. Perhaps in a support capacity when paired with other substances it can assist.

There's some limited evidence cissus speeds up bone healing (and probably tendons/ligaments). I remember a very long time ago when I used to do a lot of heavy gripper work and developed a bad case of tendinitis, cissus helped heal it. The key is to find a reputable brand. I have bought a couple which were complete bunk. But compared to BPC it's very limited.

BPC157 speeds up actual healing of bones/ligaments/tendons. It is naturally produced in your gastric juice to heal the stomach lining. It also exerts a powerful benefit on the whole GI tract (so it heals conditions to do with Chrohn's, IBS, UC,etc). It also exerts benefit on the brain through dopaminergic system. So long story short this will be the single best peptide/supplement you'll take for healing(outside of perhaps HGH and some AAS).

It will help heal the underlying issue over time however if you continue to do what triggers tendinitis/etc then it will continue to flare up and you'll need to occasionally restart your BPC157. This is what I do. For example I recently started doing more calisthenics/pull ups and so that aggravated my elbow so I started up again every few days. I also use TB500(it helps heal soft tissues/organs/skin/etc and complements BPC very well).

The only caveat is if you have diagnosed cancer don't use either one because they can help make it more aggressive. To my knowledge (from what I've read online) it doesn't cause cancer but it can make it more aggressive/atypical/etc.