Can I return to Sports or Exercise with Tendonitis?
If you’ve been diagnosed with tendonitis, you’re likely asking the big question: “Can I still play sport or exercise?” The short answer is: yes, but with the right plan and guidance.
What Is a Tendon?
Tendons are often confused with ligaments, but they serve very different purposes. A tendon is a fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone, acting like an anchor. Tendons transmit the force your muscles generate, enabling movement. Because of this role, they’re regularly exposed to high levels of stress.
When we talk about tendonitis (more accurately called tendinopathy), we’re referring to changes in the structure of a tendon, usually in response to overload.
Symptoms to Look Out For
Tendon pain usually follows a familiar pattern:
Stiffness or discomfort in the morning or after activity
Pain that eases with warm-up, but returns later
Local tenderness and sometimes thickening around the tendon
Can You Return to Exercise?
Yes, but strategically.
Returning to sport or exercise with a tendon issue isn’t just about pushing through the pain. It’s about managing the load and respecting your body’s capacity.
1. Load Management Comes First
Pain is often a direct signal that your tendon is under too much stress. One of the first steps in rehab is identifying and modifying the activity that’s causing the issue. This doesn’t mean full rest (which can actually worsen tendon health), it means smart rest.
2. Progressive Loading Is Key
Your rehab will focus on gradually loading the tendon to help it rebuild strength and resilience. This is done through a tailored, progressive exercise programme that evolves over time. Different phases of rehab will use different types of muscle contractions, all designed to restore function.
3. No One-Size-Fits-All
Everyone’s sport, tendon, and stage of injury is different. Whether you're an elite athlete or a weekend warrior, your rehab will need to be individualised to reflect your goals, pain levels, and sport specific demands.
4. Pain Doesn’t Mean You’re Injured
A certain level of discomfort during rehab exercises is normal and safe. In fact, research shows that some pain during tendon rehab isn’t harmful, and may even help with long-term recovery. Your physio will help you understand what’s acceptable and what’s not.
Physiotherapy
The sooner you get assessed, the sooner you get on the road to recovery. Correct assessment by a qualified physiotherapist is important. Tendon healing and restoration can take up to 3-6 months. Within this period we aim to have you return to all you activities in full and completing them with minimal to no pain.
Once a diagnoses has been established, your physiotherapist will create a treatment programme focusing on the cause of the tendon problem. Whether that is due to a weakness, biomechanics, training load management or other areas of your day to day life which have resulted in your tendon pain. Contact our clinic today to book your appointment or alternatively you can make a booking online.
Lesley Lowe leads the Sports Physio Clinic. She has worked with multiple sports clubs over the years including rugby, football, hurling and hockey clubs and she has worked at the Dublin city Marathon.
Sports Physio Clinic
Cycling physiotherapy plays a crucial role in injury prevention and recovery, helping cyclists improve posture, mobility, and strength to reduce strain and enhance performance..