Tendon Pain
Tendon pain — sometimes called tendinopathy or tendonitis — is a common condition that can affect your shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, or ankles.
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Tendons are the tough, fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones, helping you move with strength and control. Tendons can be thought of as the springs in our musculoskeletal system: they absorb then release energy, with bouncy activities such as running and jumping.
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When tendons become irritated, overloaded or compressed, they can become painful, stiff, and weak. The good news? Tendon pain responds extremely well to the right type of rehabilitation — you just need the right plan.
​Common Tendon Problems We Treat
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• Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy (shoulder pain / swimmers shoulder)
• Hamstring tendon (aka Yogi-butt)
• Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow (elbow pain). Did you know golfers have a higher incidence of tennis elbow and tennis players have a higher incidence of golfers elbow ;)
• Gluteal Tendinopathy (hip pain, especially prevalent during perimenopause and menopause)
• Patellar Tendinopathy (knee pain / Jumpers knee)
• Achilles Tendinopathy (ankle pain)
• Flexor Hallucis Tenosynovitis (the dancers tendon - common in ballet dancers
Tendon issues don’t always come from an obvious injury. Often, they develop slowly over time from overload, undertraining, or a sudden change in activity.
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What Causes Tendon Pain?
Tendon pain usually builds up because of too much load too quickly or too little load over time.
Key contributing factors include:
• A sudden spike in activity (e.g., starting a new sport or fitness program)
• Poor muscle strength or endurance
• Inadequate recovery between sessions
• Tendon compression: caused by muscle tension, joint stiffness or ill-fitting sportswear, syucahn as ballet ribbons rubbing
• Poor movement patterns or biomechanics
• General health factors like perimenopause, menopause, central adiposity or diabetes as well as lifestyle factors such as poor sleep, being run down, high stress, low mood, inactivity and smoking.
Understanding the true cause of your tendon pain is critical — and that’s where expert physiotherapy comes in.
Our Approach to Treating Tendon Pain
At Fit Bomb Physio, we deliver modern, evidence-based tendon rehabilitation.
Our goal? Help you rebuild stronger tendons, so you can move, perform, and live without pain.
Treatment may include:
✅ Thorough Assessment
• We take time to listen to your story, your pain, its impact on you and your goals. We conduct a comprehensive physical examination. From this we can determine the specific tendon involved, the stage of injury, what’s driving your pain and what needs to be done to get better.
✅ Pain Management Strategies
• Early-stage strategies to reduce sensitivity and manage symptoms as you begin rehab.
✅ Targeted Exercise Rehabilitation
• Carefully designed, progressive loading programs (because tendons need the right type of loading to heal and get stronger).
✅ Load Management and Activity Advice
• Helping you stay active (where possible) while protecting the tendon and avoiding further irritation. We progress this as your tendon recovers.
✅ Education and Self-Management
• So you understand your condition, why exercises are essential, and how to prevent future flare-ups.
✅ Hands-On Therapy
• In some cases, techniques like massage, dry needling, or joint mobilisation to assist recovery.
✅ Lifestyle Advise
• Advise and input to improve areas of relevance to you.
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Tendon Pain Myths Busted
Myth 1:
“Resting will fix the tendon.”
Tendons need progressive loading to heal — not complete rest.
Myth 2:
“Scans always show the full story.”
Tendon scans often show ‘degenerative’ changes even in pain-free people, including in elite sports people with full function, strength and power — clinical assessment matters more.
Myth 3:
“Tendon pain means it’s torn.”
Tendon pain usually comes from irritation and overload, not tears that require surgery.
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Take Control of Your Tendon Health
Tendon pain can be stubborn — but it’s not something you have to live with.
With the right rehab plan, patience, and expert guidance, your tendons can rebuild and become stronger than ever.
At Fit Bomb Physio, we’re ready to help you bounce back better.
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