“I have had tendonitis for 6 months. Why does it still hurt?”

Let’s first quickly discuss tendons. By definition, a tendon connects muscle to bone and transmits the force the muscle produces. So, anywhere there is a muscle, there is a tendon. Common sites of tendon injuries occur at the ankle (Achilles), knee (patellar tendon), shoulder (rotator cuff), and elbow (golfer’s, tennis). Most often, tendinitis results from overuse/inadequate recovery, a drastic change in intensity or type of activity, or biomechanical issues.

By definition, the ending “–itis” refers to inflammation. Inflammation is the 1st stage of healing, but often gets a bad rap. Inflammation is good and necessary; without it, the body cannot heal itself. The problem arises when the body gets stuck in the inflammatory phase and there is improper healing.

So, tendinitis describes a recent injury that is less than a week old and is often the result of overuse or a change in the type or intensity of activity. Simply refraining from the painful activity can typically resolve the symptoms. However, many will “push through” the pain and the condition worsens to the point they can no longer perform the activity they love. Unfortunately, this is when most seek medical attention and physical therapy.

Left untreated, the structure of the tendon changes, becoming less effective at transmitting forces, which creates pain. Under microscope, the once shiny, white healthy tendon will now look brown and “gunky”, a sign of degeneration. This “chronic inflammation” of the tendon is termed tendinosis.

What does this mean? If it is true tendinitis and just started hurting this week, return to activity is much quicker if you stop doing what hurts. If this has been an issue for some time, the recovery process […]

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Chris and I have spent 3 years, talking, planning, dreaming and praying about opening our own Physical Therapy clinic in NW Houston. We wanted to service the community we have called home for the past 10 years – (Cypress, Tomball, Champions, Spring) and took a lot of time looking to find a convenient location. We finally settled on opening up right in the middle of them all at Highway 249 & Spring Cypress, in the Sprouts Farmers Market shopping center.

Prior to opening Propel, Chris worked at Texas Sports Medicine Center in Tomball, Texas and was privileged to work for nearly a decade in a high volume clinic.  This helped him tremendously to learn how to a treat an abundance of ailments from doctors all over the country, from total knee rehabs, return to sport programs, shoulder recovery, surgery prevention and much more. His desire to get each patient back to health safely and quickly no matter if they were a professional athlete or a retiree, drove him to learn the latest treatment techniques to ensure he was giving the best care possible. He has (and still) spends countless hours to continue his education. He thoroughly enjoys taking time to get to know patients personally, answering any questions or concerns they have with their condition, as well as customizing options of how they can help recover from each and every injury.

A few years ago, Chris started to see that spending one-on-one time with each patient was invaluable, providing time to listen and implement treatment strategies.  He began to feel that seeing multiple patients at once […]