Condition
Tendinopathy
Pain and dysfunction of a tendon from overuse — common at the elbow (tennis elbow), Achilles, and shoulder — where the tendon degenerates rather than simply 'inflames'.
See a clinician
Some causes of tendinopathy need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:
- A sudden 'pop' or snap with immediate loss of strength or function — possible tendon rupture; needs urgent assessment.
- Joint warmth, redness, and swelling with fever — possible infection rather than overuse.
- Constant pain that wakes you from sleep, or pain unrelated to activity — atypical for mechanical tendinopathy.
- Recent fluoroquinolone antibiotic or corticosteroid use with new tendon pain — raised rupture risk.
What may help
Remedies studied for tendinopathy, ranked by strength of evidence.
- C Collagen peptides supplement
Collagen or gelatin taken before loading exercise increased tendon collagen and cross-sectional area in healthy people; relief of actual tendon pain is not yet proven.
The mainstay of tendinopathy care is progressive loading exercise (eccentric / heavy-slow resistance), not pills. The one supplement with supportive — though preliminary — evidence is collagen peptides taken before loading, which appears to build tendon tissue but has not yet been shown to relieve tendon pain.