Paul Cramer -MovementSpark

Something I hear almost every week in clinic:

"I stopped as soon as it started hurting — I didn't want to make it worse."

That instinct makes sense. Pain usually means stop. But with tendinopathy, that rule can actually work against you.

Here's what most people don't know: tendons don't heal well with rest. A tendon that's been completely offloaded gets weaker, more disorganized, and more sensitive over time. Rest doesn't reset it — it just removes the signal the tendon needs to rebuild.

That signal is load. Mechanical stress is literally how tendons adapt. And here's the part that surprises people: that process often comes with some discomfort. Not because something is going wrong — but because the tendon is being challenged. That's different from being damaged.

So what's actually okay?

As a general guide:
✅ Pain 0–3/10 during activity → carry on. This is where a lot of good rehab work happens.
⚠️ Pain 4–5/10 → proceed carefully. Acceptable if it settles back to normal within 24 hours.
🛑 Pain 6+/10, or pain that keeps climbing → dial back the load. Not stop — dial back.

The most useful question isn't "did it hurt?" It's: what did it feel like the next morning?

If your Achilles, elbow, or knee is about the same or just slightly more sensitive the next day — you stayed in range. The tendon handled it.

If it's meaningfully worse — you went a bit over. Useful information. Adjust and keep going.

This is how capacity builds: not by avoiding discomfort, but by learning the edge of what your tendon can currently handle, and gradually pushing that edge outward.

The golfer who keeps playing through a 3/10 elbow ache? Often doing the right thing.
The runner who stops dead at the first twinge? May actually be slowing their recovery.

Pain should always be respected. But with tendons, some of it is just the sound of work being done.

👉 Full post on the MovementSpark blog — link in bio.

Questions about tendon pain? I work with clients in Edmonton and online. Feel free to reach out or book through the link below.

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