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elepita
Apr 12, 2007, 10:05 AM
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Registered: Jun 23, 2005
Posts: 160
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Do you guys take any specific supplements to help strengthen your tendons? I have been training hard for the past 3 months ( I am close to redpoint my first 11c!) and although I have been taking adequate rest, streching properly after every climbing and training session, and working my oopsite muscles (I learnt I had to do this the hard way), my finger and elbow tendons feel a little iffy sometimes, so I was wondering if there is anything (herbal, not chemical) that I could take to help my tendons. Looking forward your input, thanks!
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climbingbetty22
Apr 12, 2007, 1:43 PM
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Registered: Dec 29, 2002
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Manganese (not to be confused with Magnesium) is particularly useful for ligaments and tendons. I wouldn't suggest taking it by itself though because it is a trace mineral, meaning you only need it in very, very small amounts. Taking it by itself could throw off the rest of your mineral balance.
A product I've used myself and like is called Ligaplex by a company called Standard Process, its a whole food supplement. It's only available through a licensed doctor though; you can't get it in a health food store.
Which is my next point...you should speak with your doctor about this before taking anything...get a referral to someone who is knowledgable in the musculoskeletal system...a PT, a physiatrist, orthopedist, chiropractor...make sure everything is working as it should before you have a problem, instead of after.
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acacongua
Apr 12, 2007, 5:34 PM
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Registered: Feb 14, 2003
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First, congrats on your near send.
Second, whatever recommendations you get, make sure you research it thoroughly. A doc was saying at the cliff recently that very few supplements have sufficient data (glucosamine does have data, but that's for joints).
Second of all, I took MSM to help an injured finger(it's for the "integrity of soft tissue"). However, I can't say whether it worked to promote healing because it was my first injury so I don't have comparison data.
Honestly, bouldering and building a base is what will strengthen you.
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aerili
Apr 12, 2007, 6:03 PM
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Registered: Jan 13, 2006
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climbingbetty22 wrote: A product I've used myself and like is called Ligaplex by a company called Standard Process, its a whole food supplement. It's only available through a licensed doctor though; you can't get it in a health food store. Which is my next point...you should speak with your doctor about this before taking anything...get a referral to someone who is knowledgable in the musculoskeletal system...a PT, a physiatrist, orthopedist, chiropractor...make sure everything is working as it should before you have a problem, instead of after.
I've also taken Ligaplex, but there are two formulas (I think I took "II," not "I" formula). It is really more geared for ligament health (not so much for tendons, although they have similar connective tissues in each in differing amounts). I believe you can order this product straight from Standard Process no script needed (it is a supplement, not an FDA-regulated drug), but I wouldn't recommend doing so and would follow climbingbetty's advice about getting more info from an ND or some other doc who deals with this stuff.
To be honest, I can't say I'm sure I found it made a huge difference for me. It's not that cheap either and I discontinued it a couple years ago. However, I was majorly impressed by Standard Process' manufacturing methods, purity process, etc. I don't trust most supplement companies to make their products like they say they do and provide exhaustive information about their manufacturing standards, but S.P. seemed to be of the highest caliber to me. This made me feel better as Ligaplex DOES contain extracts from bovine organs, etc. I did a lot of research on the company's stance on their sources for these higher-risk ingredients before ordering it.
Otherwise I do not think there is any real way to strengthen tendons beyond their genetically-set and activity-induced limit, other than to try prolotherapy, but this is an expensive procedure only really necessary for people who are experiencing chronic ligament or tendon pain related to an injury.
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