A strained tendon is a common and painful injury. Most people will experience it at least once in their lives. If you have a strained tendon, it is very important to make sure it heals properly- proper healing will decrease the chance of re-injuring the tendon. Re-injury of a strained or stressed tendon occurs more easily than the first time, and there is usually much more inflammation around a reinjured tendon than there was during the first occurrence of the injury.

Pain in the tendon may be a sign of Tendonitis. Tendonitis is a degenerative condition in the tendon fibres that attach muscles to bone. Sufferers generally complain of a severe, burning pain in the area, which gradually worsens and is exacerbated by stress on the joint.

If you have a strained tendon or tendonitis, it's crucial that you heavily reduce any physical strain on the injured area throughout the healing stage. It's also important to make sure the injured tendon is warmed up and warmed down properly before and after any physical exercise. When treating a strained tendon/tendonitis, the best course of action is to rest the area and apply ice or a cold compression wrap for 10-20 minutes at a time for at least 3 times a day. Moist heat (e.g. a hot bath) may be used after the initial swelling is improved, and rest prevents further injury. Ice/cold compression will reduce inflammation and swelling, and the moist heat circulates blood through the area to speed the healing process. The recovery can be further helped with the use of therapeutic ultrasound applications over the affected area, as it reduces swelling quickly and increases blood flow to the area.

However, this procedure is not what the typical person does. Patients may apply ice once or twice, rest a bit, take some pain relief pills and continue with their activities. If the strain was minor, their body may be able to heal the muscle fibers normally. Unfortunately, this is not the usual result, due to the injured muscle being used instead of rested. Because of the stress on the muscle, the body heals the injured muscle fibers by binding them together with fibrotic adhesions, also called scar tissue. This is done in an attempt to prevent further damage to the injured area, and is a normal protective response of the body.

To prevent scar tissue build-up, the best course of action is to apply therapeutic ultrasound treatments on the injured area, up to three times daily. Ultrasound energy will naturally "work" the tendon, increasing its flexibility while softening and breaking down scar tissue. Scar tissue is inflexible (non-elastic), decreases range of motion, and can lead to re-injury of the tendon later on. If you choose to use steroid injections or are using steroid injections, do NOT treat the area with ultrasound therapy until 30 days after the last injection (Steroid injections break down the tissue in the treated area in an attempt to get it to re-heal properly). Applying ultrasound over areas injected with steroids may increase the damage and can potentially tear the tendon.

The trick to healing any tendon injury is getting it to heal with minimal scar tissue formation and with as much realignment of tendon fibres as possible- something the Inferno Wrap and the Therapeutic Ultrasound Unit are great at! Even with optimum healing, there is always less elasticity in a previously injured tendon. The best course of action is to make sure you heal as best you can- that way your chance of reinjury down the road is much lower.