Tendinitis is the inflammation of the tendon and results from micro-tears that happen when the musculotendinous unit is acutely overloaded with a tensile force that is too heavy and/or too sudden. Tendinitis is still a very common diagnosis, though research increasingly documents that what is thought to be tendinitis is usually tendinosis.
Tendinosis is a degeneration of the tendon’s collagen in response to chronic overuse i.e. when overuse is continued without giving the tendon time to heal and rest, such as with repetitive strain injury, tendinosis results. Even tiny movements, such as clicking a mouse, can cause tendinosis, when done repeatedly.
The healing time for tendinitis is several days to 6 weeks, depending on whether treatment starts with early presentation or chronic presentation. On the other hand, treatment for tendinosis recognized at an early stage can be as brief as 6–10 weeks. However, treatment once the tendinosis has become chronic can take 3–6 months. It is suggested that effective treatment might take up to 9 months once the tendinosis is chronic. Knowing these timelines is part of creating an effective treatment plan. Tendons reportedly require over 100 days to make new collagen. Given this claim, treating chronic tendinosis for a matter of weeks would provide little benefit to the long-term repair of the tendon.
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