Tendon Clinic at
NYDNRehab

• Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendon, often caused by overuse. Although painful, tendinitis often resolves itself after a few days, once the activity that caused it is discontinued. Unless tendonitis becomes chronic it rarely requires treatment.

• Tendinosis is pain caused by micro tears of the tendon tissue, often during physical activities that overload the tendon. In tendinosis, the tendon’s collagen fibers are structurally altered in response to sudden or repetitive overload. Despite structural changes, a tendon may not become painful until your body’s compensation mechanisms fail. Pain is a warning sign to stop or modify your activity and seek treatment. Ignoring tendinosis can lead to tendon rupture.

• Tenosynovitis is inflammation of the tendon sleeve membrane. Tendons are encapsulated in sheaths that are prone to inflammation from excessive friction.

• Tendon Ruptures can occur suddenly or progress gradually. A tendon rupture is most often a sudden and very painful event, and may require surgical repair.

Our state-of-the-art running gait analysis lab enables us to identify biomechanical and neuromuscular deficiencies, helping our technicians to distinguish between compensation strategies and injuries that are invisible to the naked eye.

Gait analysis enables us to:

• Ground reaction forces

• Joint angles

• Compensation patterns

• Coordination of movement

Data from gait analysis equips the therapist to design effective treatment strategies that address the source of tendinopathy, retraining the athlete to run more efficiently, to prolong their running career and prevent future injuries.

Sports that require jumping like basketball, tennis, volleyball and dance place huge demands on the athlete’s body. From preparation to landing, jumps impose enormous forces on the athlete’s muscles, joints and connective tissues. Poor mechanics not only reduces the level of performance, but mechanical deficiencies can lead to debilitating and career-ending injuries.

At NYDNRehab, we use the most advanced real-time force plate technology and 3D video analysis to evaluate the athlete in motion. Excessive and damaging forces often stem from poor muscle coordination, improper motor control and muscle imbalances.

Jumping diagnostics evaluates:

• Ground reaction forces

• Joint angles

• Compensation patterns

• Coordination of movement

Real-time force plate analysis enables the athlete to see where their mechanical deficiencies lie, so they can focus on correcting them. The therapist will use the data generated to create a rehab training protocol, to strengthen weak muscles, improve motor coordination and refine the athlete’s jumping technique.

Tendon injuries and tendinopathies are challenging to treat because tendon tissue has low vascularity, limiting the flow of oxygen and nutrients needed to repair and regenerate cells. When left untreated, damaged tendon tissue begins to degenerate, reducing associated muscle strength and creating serious imbalances that hinder mobility.

One of the main treatment approaches for tendon rehab is eccentric loading, where emphasis is placed on the muscle lengthening phase of an exercise. The Kineo Intelligent Load system is designed to rehabilitate tendon injuries by offering a range of loading variables that can be personalized and pre-programmed, based on the patient’s unique profile. It can even simulate water training for a pain-free workout.

Kineo serves as both an assessment tool and a treatment modality. Its intelligent processing system gathers and analyzes performance data, gives real-time feedback, and renders comprehensive performance reports.

A Kineo assessment report includes charts and data that explain:

• Isokinetic and Isometric evaluation results for open and closed kinetic chain exercises

• Comparison of strength deficits between limbs

• Eccentric maximal strength evaluation results

• Power assessment results

• Eccentric/Concentric strength ratios

The Kineo Intelligent Load system is just one of the advanced technological tools we use at NYDNRehab to accelerate the tendon healing process and restore functional pain-free movement.