I have run (every pun intended) with lots of injured athletes. Most athletes with tendon injuries do the standard protocols. Many of them haven’t heard about the research and benefits of using gelatin for tendon injury and health. The best part? The protocol is cheap and easy. The info below is based on the work of Keith Baar Ph.D., a molecular exercise physiologist. I had an opportunity to hear him speak on epigenetics and athletics at the ACSM conference.
Here is a very readable article on his work: Harness the Power of Your Muscle Matrix. Also check out this article on Using Gelatin… Asker Jeukendrop does a great job explaining complex nutrition research in a way that is easy to understand and apply.
Podcast interview: Keith Baar, PhD – Tendon Stiffness, Collagen Production & Gelatin for Performance & Injury
His recommendation for tendon injuries: 10-15g of gelatin with >50mg of vitamin C one hour before training. Elites use it as a drink but you can use shot blocks too. You then do six minutes of exercise loading (skip rope, eccentric heel lowering etc.). Repeat every six hours.
Dr. Baar hypothesizes that it may help athletes to use it to prevent further injuries.
I have noticed in some of my non-athletic reading that people are biohacking by using hydrolyzed collagen and canned oysters to help with aging and prevent injuries. Same reason people are consuming bone broth however that can lead to them to consuming too much lead.
This reminds me of the line about athletes. There are only two kinds of (insert your sport here); those who are injured and those who will be injured.
No easy way!