Ligament and tendon injuries
What are ligaments and tendons?
Treatment of ligament and tendon injuries
What are ligaments and tendons?
A tendon (sinew) is a very strong, slightly elastic band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects a muscle to bone. It is able to efficiently transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability to withstand significant amounts of tension.
Ligaments are similar to tendons, except they connect bones to bones, rather than muscles to bones.
Tendons and ligaments are made mostly from the protein collagen. The highest concentrations of minerals in them are manganese, copper and calcium.
One of the most common tendon injuries is of the rotator cuff, in the shoulder.
Muscles have a good blood supply, with their high need for glucose energy and oxygen. In contrast, ligaments and tendons are poorly supplied with blood vessels. They are likely to suffer from deficient oxygen levels (hypoxia) and low nutrients when injured, so they tend to heal slowly and produce a lot of scar tissue as they heal. A torn ligament or tendon tends to be weaker and less flexible even after fully healing, and there may be a tendency towards arthritis or back pain.
Treatment of ligament and tendon injuries
- Immediately after an injury apply an ice pack for 15 to 20 minutes. Repeat the ice pack an hour later. You can apply an ice pack for up to 48 hours after the injury if there are symptoms of inflammation around the injury. Ice packs can reduce swelling, bleeding into the tissues, muscle spasm and pain.
- Ligaments and tendons have a poor blood supply, so cold and complete rest are not good treatment strategies after the first day or two. Do not use ice, or immobilisation.
- Warmth. After the first day or two keep the injury warm to help get blood supply to the area.
- Exercise. Move the injured area or limb rather than keeping it immobile. Of course, do not exercise it to the point of pain where further injury may occur. The purpose of the movement is to stimulate blood supply to the area.
- Opposite / backwards exercise. The principle is using the "opposite" muscles and ligaments to those being used when the injury occurred. Start slowly, smoothly, gently. Initially go for a few seconds, build up to several minutes as you strengthen the injured area in the right places. After you adapt and feel comfortable, increase the resistance (for example) by dragging something while you walk backwards - which is especially good for knee pain.
- Manganese is the most important mineral / element required for ligament and tendon healing. Manganese is required to produce several enzymes that repair ligaments and tendons.
The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) and Adequate Intake for manganese is 2.3 mg per day for men and 1.8 mg for women. These levels are lower than the amount required for optimal health.
If supplementing manganese to assist with an injury, take 200mg per day for a month, but then stop. Try to get ongoing manganese from food sources rather than supplements.
The best food source of manganese is shellfish - mussels, clams, oysters, lobsters and so on. Manganese is also found in many vegetables and grains, but at much lower levels. It is difficult to absorb manganese from grains which contain anti-nutrient phytates. Several pharmaceutical drugs prevent the absorption of manganese. These include statins, steroids and the Cipro class of antibiotics. - Vitamin D.
- Vitamin C is required for the production of collagen, which is the primary protein in ligaments and tendons.
- Copper.