Tendonitis

WOW! Every rider I saw yesterday had shoulder tendonitis!

This is a term that we hear pretty often, however some of you may not know exactly what it is: The tendon is the end of the muscle that attaches to bone. If you can imagine a shoelace, the tendon is like the plastic covered end of the shoelace. Tendonitis is the inflammation of that end part.

The causes can be varied however the most common in the shoulder is muscle imbalance and bad bio mechanics (ways of executing movement) - usually related to muscle imbalance or bad work ergonomics. Trauma can cause this as well.

Because the tendon is a denser texture than the muscle, it can actually take a bit more time for it to heal. My job is to assess the area for muscle imbalance, which invariably with equestrians is caused by stronger front of the body muscles than the back muscles. Add poor posture, lack of core stability, and repetitive movements, then you get a lovely case of tendinitis!

The shoulder is actually the most unstable joint in the body.

Imagine one of those triangular tents that have a central tent pole (bone). These are secured by ropes that tether to the ground (muscles). What happens when you pull one rope (muscle) than the other? The pole (bone) becomes tilted and one side of the tent (body) is taut and the other side sags, creating an imbalance. Add movement to that and the pole (bones) move around more than they should creating instability in the tent (body) = injury or falling tent! :)

This is a simplistic analogy however it gives you an idea of the anatomy of injuries.

So what did I do with these clients? I helped them eliminate the pain from 90% to 5-10% in all ranges of motion. And then taught them some corrective exercises to help prevent this from happening again.

You may be surprised to hear that food can be a big factor in recovery. But that's a whole other blog post! :)

Be well!