Tendonitis – what role does dehydration play?

I was just reading this article on whether coffee causes dehydration (it doesn’t, apparently) and how dehydration affects your health.  It reminded me of one of the more odd facts about our tendons.

Tendons are very adaptable structures.  If you move slowly they stretch and lengthen if you move fast they become rigid.  This adaptability is lost when tendons dry out and they become rigid all of the time.  This rigidity significantly increases the loading on the tendon and that can cause inflammation in the tendon (tendonitis) or tears.

While increasing your hydration won’t resolve an existing tendon problem (you need to contact us for that) it is an excellent way of preventing it happening or recurring.

How to prevent dehydration

Dehydration is a balancing game, drinking plenty of water is the obvious solution but if you are exercising you don’t want that excess.  Have access to drink stations or carry water.  Check the weather forecast and plan your clothing to avoid excess sweating, try and rest in shade and make sure the liquid you are drinking doesn’t have too many diuretics which can make you go to the toilet more and waste important water.

Could dehydration be the cause of your tendonitis?

There’s a range of ways tendonitis can come about. At Pure Physio we are experts in treating it, could this drop of advice prevent your tendonitis returning?