TECAR therapy for tendinopathy.

A tendon is the strong cord that connects a muscle to a bone. When people say a tendon is inflamed, they often picture a short-term injury that flares up and then calms down. Tendinopathy is different. It is a degenerative, overuse problem, which means the tendon has been overloaded for a long time and its fibres have gradually become disorganised and weaker rather than being acutely swollen. Because the issue is this slow breakdown and not simple short-term inflammation, rest alone rarely fixes it.

You may also hear it called tendinosis. The two words point at the same idea of a tired, run-down tendon that has lost some of its normal strength and structure. It tends to build up over weeks or months from repeated strain, often from sport, work, or a sudden jump in activity that the tendon was not ready for.

Common sites include the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle, the patellar tendon just below the kneecap, often called jumper's knee, the gluteal tendons around the side of the hip, the rotator cuff tendons in the shoulder, and the tendon attachments at the elbow seen in tennis elbow on the outside and golfer's elbow on the inside.

The modern understanding of tendon problems is clear on one point. The thing that actually rebuilds a worn-down tendon is the right kind of exercise, applied gradually over time. This is called progressive loading. In plain terms, you give the tendon controlled, steadily increasing work so it adapts and becomes stronger and more tolerant, much like training builds any other tissue. This is the core of treatment, and it is why a proper assessment and an individual exercise plan matter so much.

Loading takes patience. Tendons are slow to respond, so progress is usually measured in weeks to months, not days, and it varies from person to person. The most common reason tendinopathy drags on is not the wrong exercise but inconsistent exercise, often because the area is too sore or stiff to keep going. That is exactly the gap a tool like TECAR is meant to help close.

TECAR works by passing a gentle radiofrequency current, at around 500 kHz, through the body using a hand-held electrode. This creates warmth deep inside muscle and tendon tissue rather than only at the skin surface. That deep warmth helps relax tight tissue, ease discomfort, and calm down protective muscle tension, the natural guarding that happens when an area hurts. The result is an area that moves more freely and feels more comfortable to work with.

For tendinopathy this matters because comfort drives consistency. By warming and preparing the tissue and reducing guarding at the start of a session, TECAR can make your strengthening exercises more tolerable and easier to perform with good quality. When the loading program feels manageable, you are far more likely to keep doing it week after week, and that consistency is what changes the tendon over time. TECAR is a preparation and comfort step woven into your physiotherapy, not a standalone series and not a replacement for the exercise that does the real work.

For tendons that have stayed painful for a long time despite consistent loading, TECAR often pairs with shockwave therapy. A common pattern is to warm and settle the area with TECAR, then use shockwave to send pressure pulses into the stubborn tendon to prompt a healing response, all while the exercise plan continues. You can read how the two compare on our TECAR vs shockwave page, and learn more about shockwave therapy at Medstar. For general guidance on managing long-standing tendon and muscle pain you can also check HealthLinkBC, though the clearest answer for your tendon comes from an in-person exam.