Tendinitis in Athletes: Why It Happens and How to Train Without Making It Worse

By Alex Adams

What is Tendinitis?

Whether you’re training for a powerlifting meet, just joined an indoor pickleball league for the winter, or are ramping up the miles before a race, tendinitis can get in the way of progress and make it hard to feel excited about training. Tendinitis, or tendinopathy, is a common injury that can happen at any joint in the body when the tendons become inflamed from overuse or repetitive movements. 

In lifters and endurance athletes, tendinitis can occur after a sudden increase in exercise frequency or intensity. It can feel dull and achy or, at times, feel sharp and localized to one spot, especially when performing movements similar to your sport or activity. 

What Should You Do?

While you shouldn’t keep training through the pain, you shouldn’t completely stop training either. Scaling your workouts back to an intensity that is pain-free and setting parameters for yourself to stay at low pain levels (up to 2-3 on a scale of 0-10) can help guide your training.

Adding in isometric exercises early on in your rehab and progressing to ones with slow eccentrics can help to strengthen the tendons gradually, so learning how to incorporate these exercises into a long-term program can help you to prevent future injuries. Working with a physical therapist or knowledgeable trainer can help to identify any weak points in your form and create a plan to help you return to your goals safely. 

Injuries happen, and while they are a frustrating setback, they can be a moment to step back, train smarter, and come back stronger.