Tendon Compression
Once you have been diagnosed with a tendon injury (tendinopathy), there are a few quick and easy things you can do to manage your issue.
Tendons dislike being put in to positions of compression. For each tendon there a few positions that you should aim to avoid for a short period whilst your tendon is recovering. These include:
Hamstring (buttock) – sitting on couch with feet on coffee table, sitting up in bed with feet out-stretched, a normal hamstring stretch leaning forward at the hips & reaching to touch your toes with straight legs.
- Patella (knee) – kneeling, deep squats & low chairs.
- Achilles (ankle) – bending the ankle so the knees are over the toes, stretching the calf with the heel off a step & walking barefoot.
Gluteal (hip) – sitting cross-legged, lying on your side, carrying children on your hip & walking with a pelvic sway (the ‘model walk’).
All these positions compress the tendon on to the underlying bony attachment. Whilst the tendon is irritated it doesn’t like these positions. Once you have settled the reactivity of the tendon down, you may slowly start to reintroduce these positions.
These are many others for different tendons, so have a chat to us if you need some help.