February 29, 2024
Tendon and ligament injuries are not just for athletes. Unfortunately, these types of injuries are more common and widespread than we’d like. Find out the difference between tendon vs ligament injuries and how a chiropractor can help treat them below!
What is a Tendon?
A tendon is a piece of connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone. When muscles contract or “flex”, the tendons will pull on the bone to allow movement.
Tendons are resilient and extremely strong, but they still can become irritated or damaged. When injured, the healing process can take weeks as tendons don’t usually receive much blood.
What are Common Tendon Injuries?
The most common tendon injury is tendonitis, the inflammation or irritation of the tissue stemming from overuse or strain. There is also potential for it to be related to certain diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or infections.
Tendonitis is further broken down into the location and type of injury. These types include:
- Golfer’s elbow: an injury where the tendons of your forearm attach to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow, leading to pain and weakness in your grip.
- Achilles tendonitis: an injury where the tendon that connects your calf muscles to the heel bone, resulting in mild to severe pain and stiffness.
- Jumper’s knee: an injury where the patellar tendon, which connects your kneecap to your shin bone, becomes inflamed and weakens as a whole. This leads to swelling and pain around your knee.
These are a few examples, but it’s possible to injure any tendon. The most common injuries tend to be in the elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles because these joints are some of the most active.
What is a Ligament?
Ligaments are similar to tendons because they’re both connective pieces of tissue. However, unlike tendons, ligaments connect bones to bones. These tissues are important for keeping skeletal structures together and stable during use.
Ligaments have the same issue when it comes to healing, as they don’t have much blood flow. The healing process is a slow one when it comes to these connective tissues.
What are Common Ligament Injuries?
Ligament injuries are very different from tendons, as they usually result in a sprain or actual tear of the fibers depending on the severity of the injury. These issues stem from sports injuries, exercise, or even just overstretching. Some common ligament injuries include:
- Knee injuries: ACL tear or MCL sprain
- Ankle injuries: Ankle sprain or Achilles tear/rupture
- Shoulder injuries: Shoulder dislocation or rotator cuff tear
- Spinal injuries: Neck sprain or back ligament sprain or whiplash
How Can a Chiropractor Help?
Chiropractic care can be extremely effective in treating both tendon and ligament injuries. Your practitioner will use specific adjustment techniques to break up scar tissues and promote mobility of the joint. Breaking up scar tissue will increase the amount of blood flow to the ligament or tendon, quickening the healing process.
Beyond manual adjustments, your chiropractor may employ low-level laser or electrotherapy to reduce swelling and accelerate your natural healing. To increase your mobility, your chiropractor may also recommend rehabilitation exercises. These movements will be monitored and tailored to suit your mobility needs.
In addition to helping the healing process move along, your chiropractor may be able to help you avoid similar injuries in the future. If a subluxation or skeletal alignment error is placing undue stress on a joint, adjustments will correct these imbalances and allow the joint to operate with less strain and freer movement.
Experiencing Pain in Your Tendons and Ligaments?
If you’re experiencing a tendon or ligament injury, you have options to ease that discomfort. Call 727-447-4647 or contact our expert chiropractors in Clearwater, FL, to see how we can help you get on track to a pain-free life!
About the Author: With over three decades of experience, Dr. Jere Jarrett is a highly educated and experienced chiropractor who serves Clearwater, FL, and the surrounding areas. He takes a “whole-body” approach to chiropractic care. Instead of treating symptoms, Dr. Jarrett looks for the underlying cause of pain and discomfort. Call 727-447-4647 to schedule an appointment!