Training & Nutrition - Bilateral Hamstring tendonitis

After experiencing pain in the back of and around outside of my knees, I scheduled an apointment with a sports medicine doctor. The pain was never in the front, just back and outside of the knees. After examination, she diagnosed me with Bilateral Hamstring Tendonitis. She set up a follow-up with a physical therapist for a second evaluation and therapy. Has anyone experienced this before? Thanks.

Haven't had that particular kind but I have had tendinitis of several other tendons. My advice is: be patient. Tendons take a long time to heal. Longer than most people would like...

Good luck and hang in there!

Although you won't want to hear it, you'll probably be in for a period of decreased activity. I pretty much had to halve my mileage/hour goals for December due to patellar tendonitis. I still did a bit of riding, as it is important to keep the joints limber. But it was all super easy riding.

I'm pretty much 95% healed now, after a regimen of strength training and good recovery. Depending on the severity of your tendonitis, your recovery might be shorter or longer. Good luck with your recovery, though.

Thanks all. I will say that it is good to hear that light riding is still recommended with this. I was worried that I was going to need to be off the bike completely which really would've been a bummer. Light riding is better than no riding. I guess this is a good time to get those base miles back in . . . I hope my therapist believes so too.

Lots of warmth applied to the areas to promote circulation and to the adjoining muscle bellies for 20-30 minutes, then off, every couple of hours, followed by just a LITTLE GENTLE stretching. Or even no stretching at all for a while. And NSAIDs. And compliance with what the PT and MD suggest.

Tendons have less blood supply to them than do the muscles, so they take much longer to heal.

Do you like to swim? Swimming is a good way to keep your fitness level while you aren't on the bike so much. But maybe not breast stroke or backstroke.

I'll echo the above post. Keep the joints warm during excercise. The only time I get knee soreness is walking to school now (temp ~30F). Once I get back to the heat, my knee feels fine.

Also, plenty of ice and perhaps an anti-inflammatory if there is swelling. But of course, follow the advice of your MD/PT above all else.