When you injure your lower body, it seems like the best option would be to rest and refrain from moving that part of the body for a while. This is actually the opposite of what we should be doing. The “use it or lose it” principle applies to tendons so the longer you are inactive, the more movement that is lost in the injured area. La Trobe University published an article detailing the 10 things to avoid after injuring a lower extremity tendon. In this publication they mention what not to do and give reasoning as to why these things can cause the injury to become worse. They explain that undergoing treatment that does not stress the tendon will not have any effect on the strength of the tendon. In order to heal an injury, the tendon must undergo sufficient stress.
Other things to avoid with this type of injury include ignoring pain, massaging a painful tendon, and not sufficiently rehabbing the injury. Pain is a signal from the body that there is something wrong and we must reduce our intensity in response to pain in order to prevent further damage or injury. When we ignore pain and push through the barrier, we are putting ourselves at greater risk for increasing the severity of the injury. Massaging a tendon that is painful may cause increased stress to an area that is already stressed, resulting in increased pain and damage. Lastly, healing a tendon injury takes time. In order to successfully rehab an injury of this nature we must be patient and stick to the exercises prescribed by our PT. Tendons can take 3 months or more to fully heal so it is important to not get impatient and to continue to follow the exercises prescribed. By following these guidelines, we are setting ourselves up for a smooth and quick recovery.
Cook, Jill. “10 Things Not to Do If You Have Lower Limb Tendon Pain.” La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, 7 Aug. 2017, semrc.blogs.latrobe.edu.au/10-things-not-to-do-if-you-have-lower-limb-tendon-pain/.