What it means
A tendon attaches muscle to bone, transmitting the force of muscular contraction to produce movement. The Achilles tendon and the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder are among the most familiar.
The terminology has shifted. Painful tendons were long described as tendinitis, implying inflammation. Tissue studies show the process is usually degenerative rather than inflammatory, so tendinopathy is now preferred.
That distinction matters: it is the reason anti-inflammatory treatment and rest are less effective than progressive loading exercise.
In practice
Appears in musculoskeletal and physiotherapy letters. Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow are tendinopathies at the elbow; plantar fasciitis is a closely related condition in the foot.
Why it matters
Tendinopathy responds to graded loading rather than rest. Progressive strengthening under physiotherapy guidance is the treatment with the best evidence, and recovery is typically measured in months.
Repeated steroid injection into a tendon weakens it and is generally avoided.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 30, 2026