If you’re working out frequently, and pushing yourself hard, odds are that at some point you’ll train too much, or exert yourself too hard during a workout and feel pain. Now, hopefully this isn’t the searing, white hot pain that accompanies a snapping sound, but rather the deep throb and ache that comes from overuse. So there you are later that night, icing your elbow or knee, frowning and wondering how it came to this. What to do? Should you just take two weeks off and call it quits, or work through it, or is there a middle ground?
First, let’s clarify a few things. People often complain of tendonitis when they feel a pain in their elbow or the like, but they usually do not have an actual swelling of the tendon, which is the technical definition of tendonitis. Instead, they most likely have tendonosis, which quite simply means pain in the tendon, a term which is vague enough to apply to most such cases. Therefore, tendonosis is usually what athletes experience, especially when it comes through overuse (repetitive stress) as opposed to acute trauma brought about a specific injury.
The most basic rule of thumb, the one that precedes and is more important than any other rule is as follows: if it hurts, don’t do it. There used to be a popular slogan that ran: no pain, no gain, but that wasn’t meant literally; rather they intended to indicate that you need to work out really hard, get that burn and push your limits in order to achieve results, not actively workout in pain. So if you’ve hurt your elbow or knee, stop whatever exercise you’re doing that brought that pain about.
Now, let’s do some logical thinking. If you’ve developed tendonosis, most likely you’ve been working out too hard. You’ve literally overused that joint, and worn it out. Logically speaking, what do you think the most sensible thing would be to make it feel better? Yes, taking a break. Not from exercising in general, but from the exercise that aggravates that injury. Two weeks is the standard amount of time, because that gives your body time to heal, to recover. So change up your routine so as to give that joint a break, and do something else.
Also, targeted stretching can be great. Some research online can quickly reveal what physical therapy stretches are used for each problem area, and so you can avoid actually paying for physical therapy by just mimicking them at home. However, most people don’t stick with the actual physical therapy exercises, or avoid the parts that are uncomfortable, and thus don’t get the full benefit of such stretches, which is why sometimes it can make sense to make an appointment so as to get somebody to force you to recover properly.
Finally, there are a number of other options to explore. For short term relief, consider using NSAIDS (non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) such Ibuprofen, Alieve, Naprosen and Naproxen to reduce inflammation. However, do not use these for long term pain. You should also explore self mysofacial release, which can be excellent for tendonitis, muscle pain, and generalized fatigue.
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