Is it possible to strengthen tendons

You might say weight lifting, cardio, or stretching. Cardio and weight lifting are great ways to help build strong, lean, athletic bodies. Stretching helps to improve flexibility and muscle tone.

All these exercises are great for maintaining a healthy body. How would you answer if I asked what you do to build and maintain healthy tendons? Most people do not think about tendon strength as a reason to workout. But, the strength and mobility of your tendons have a direct impact on your muscle strength, mobility, and overall health. Tendons are made up of tough yet flexible fibrous bands.

Tendons attach muscles to the bone. Providing stability and movement in various parts of the body. The 4, tendons in your body make it possible for you to clench your fist, throw a ball, or squat to pick up a heavy item.

With so many tendons doing work for your body, it is as important to maintain your tendon health. Tendon injuries are common. Mostly caused by overuse. Tendon injuries can also be effectively treated when caught early. Learn more about how to maintain your tendon health, recognize signs of injury, and how tendon injuries are treated.

The good news about tendon health is that you may already be doing many of the things necessary to build and maintain healthy tendons. The fuel you provide your body and your exercise routine can help to maintain your tendon health. What you eat and drink impacts how you feel and how your body performs. Your diet plays an important role in maintaining healthy tendons.

Healthy tendons are made mostly of collagen. A diet that supports collagen production will help to maintain tendon elasticity and build strength. Supplementing your normal dietary intake may be necessary to support your tendon health. You can get many of the key nutrients needed in a healthy diet; however, supplementing the following items can be beneficial.

Unlike muscle, tendons take longer to strengthen. Research has indicated that tendons may take two to three months longer to respond to exercise than muscle. Traditionally, tendons and ligaments were viewed as inert structures that did not respond to day-to-day training and nutrition , except in response to injury. By utilizing recently discovered training and nutritional interventions, climbers can develop stronger, stiffer ligaments, tendons, and muscle matrix that will increase performance higher rate of force development and increase muscle efficiency and reduce injury risk via increasing collagen synthesis in tendons and ECM.

These findings are revolutionary for a hard-training climber or other serious athlete with the desire and discipline to employ these new technologies! It's been shown that tendon and ligaments degrade slightly as a result of training and then regenerate to regain homeostasis and strengthen slightly during the recovery period see Figure below.

This is quite similar to the process by which contractile muscle fibers hypertrophy as a result of training —a critical difference between muscle and connective tissue, however, is the limited blood flow and nutrient supply available to tendons and ligaments. Whereas well-perfused muscle recovers rather quickly typically 24 - 48 hours , connective tissues can take 48 to 72 hours or more to recover from an intense workout or day of hard climbing. Chronic over-training under-resting may escalate the condition to the point of an acute tear e.

A2 pulley or tendinosis. Due to the poor blood flow to connective tissues, their primary delivery system of nourishment is by way of synovial fluid diffusion during mechanical loading see Figure below. Now consider that climbers like other serious power athletes tend to train and perform on an empty stomach. Significant meals are typically consumed post-workout —great for nourishing muscles, but less than ideal for nourishing tendons.

It would seem so, especially considering the ubiquity of injured climbers. First, consider your general physical condition and exercise capabilities.

Whether you're returning to vigorous physical activity or you're just beginning a workout regimen, start slowly. Gradually increase the pace as your body becomes more efficient at handling the demands of physical activity. Let's say you're ready to take on that Zumba class or high-energy elliptical workout. The Mayo Clinic suggests that you begin with a structured warmup session. In a nutshell, it's necessary to improve your cardiovascular system's capacity by sending more blood to your muscles and increasing your body temperature.

An effective warmup may reduce injury risk and decrease muscle soreness after a workout. After your exercise session, notes St. Mary Medical Center, engage in some leisurely stretching exercises that will help keep muscle stiffness at bay. Also, supplement your aerobic workouts with a well-rounded muscle-strengthening program. Stronger muscles promote better joint integrity, and they're less susceptible to injuries. To avoid unnecessary stress on your tendons and your entire body , keep your weight in a healthy range.

If you need to shed some pounds, combining well-rounded aerobic exercise with strength training should help you lose excess weight. Ligaments are connective tissue powerhouses that can take many forms, explains the U. National Library of Medicine. Rich in super-strong collagen fibers, they appear in different shapes and sizes throughout your body. These tissues can resemble string, bands of varied sizes, and even arches. Versatile ligaments also serve varied purposes. Sometimes, they link two bones either by physically attaching themselves to the bones' ends or by stabilizing the adjacent joint.

Either way, the bones are essentially held in place, so they can't assume an unnatural position that could lead to a dislocation. In contrast, some ligaments aren't remotely connected to bones, but they're instead responsible for keeping the internal organs in their proper positions. For example, ligaments ensure that a woman's womb stays in its correct pelvic orientation. Within the abdominal cavity, ligaments firmly hold the stomach, intestine and liver in their correct positions. Because these tissues can also contain delicate gland ducts or blood vessels, it's important that they remain stationary.

This stability helps ensure that the fragile structures within don't twist, bend or tear. Naturally, you want to keep your ligaments and tendons healthy. To help these and other connective tissues to grow and thrive, the National Spine Health Foundation recommends that you add collagen-rich foods to your diet. First, consume fish, such as salmon and mackerel, which are chock-full of valuable Omega-3 fatty acids.

Another great group of ligament-strengthening foods includes sulfur-containing cruciferous vegetables. Examples include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips and kale.

Some allium-family vegetables, such as onions and garlic, also contain useful sulfur. Eggs, poultry and fish are other readily-accessible sulfur sources. To obtain vitamin A, fill up on apricots, spinach, sweet potato and winter squash, among other fruits and vegetables.

Source your vitamin C from delicious fruits like kiwi, orange, strawberries, lemon, guava, papaya and pineapple. Red and green peppers also contain vitamin C.