Effect of Collagen Supplementation on Tendinopathy

Tendon injuries represent a significant problem in elite athletes. Therefore, prevention and effective treatment of tendon overload injury/tendinopathy is important. Among different treatment options, heavy-slow loading based rehabilitation is considered among the most efficient treatments in athletes. In this study, we will investigate if supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen in combination with a heavy-slow loading based 12 weeks rehabilitation regime can improve treatment of tendon overload injury/tendinopathy. The investigators will examine elite athletes with overload injury/tendinopathy with regards to symptoms (pain, function), tendon morphology (ultrasonography), and vascularization (Doppler US). The investigators hypothesize that collagen supplementation can have an improving effect on tendon pain and function. Thus, the investigation will show if a rehabilitation regime of collagen supplementation combined with heavy-slow mechanical loading can improve tendon healing compared to mechanical loading alone.