Load Management: Why it’s necessary for Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers
By Joey Linn
What is tendinopathy?
Dr. Brar goes into great detail when explaining what tendinopathy is, and why load management is essential for someone plagued by it. Brar’s description is that tendinopathy is simply the pathology of a tendon. The complexity of it, however, is that it comes in three stages.
The first stage of tendinopathy is what is called reactive tendinopathy. Brar explains that this is a short term adaptation of the tendon to a sudden increase in stress and direct impact to the tendon. When this happens, the tendon will typically thicken, increase in stiffness, and revert back to its normal state.
Stage two is titled tendon disrepair, and in this stage, the injury must be managed much more closely than in stage one. Brar states that this is a progression from stage one that occurs when the tendon continues to take on an inappropriate level of stress and is therefore unable to revert back to its normal state.
Brar finishes his tendinopathy breakdown by analyzing the most extreme case, which is stage three. In this stage, labeled degenerative tendinopathy, the changes in the tendon are characterized by cell death, and are now deemed irreversible. This occurs in athletes who continuously overload on a tendon in need of proper management.
While the exact stage of Kawhi’s right quad and left knee are unknown, Brar presents his hypothesis on where the two reside on the tendinopathy scale. In regard to Kawhi’s right quad, Brar makes his case that it is currently in stage two.
This means it requires immense care in order to prevent irreversible damage. As for Kawhi’s left knee, Brar believes it currently resides somewhere in between stage one and two, further justifying the careful approach to Kawhi and his workload.
No matter the specific severity of Kawhi’s current condition, the facts conclude that load management is essential to the preservation of his health. Brar finishes his video with a segment focused on load management and where exactly it fits in the rehabilitation process of Kawhi’s specific injury.
Brar’s expertise allowed him to carefully articulate that the nature of Kawhi’s injury can progressively deteriorate without proactive management of his workload. A key proponent to the strengthening of the tendon, is placing an appropriate amount of stress upon it, without overdoing it.
The right amount of stress will force the tendon to adapt and become stronger, whereas an inappropriate amount of stress will lead to the tendon sliding down the tendinopathy scale towards irreversible damage.
The medical facts are irrefutable. For the Clippers, not only do they have medical reasons to rest Kawhi, but the strategy simply makes sense for them. Why is that? Let’s take a look.