Tendon Basics and Viscoelasticity

Pre-Order The Forever Strong PLAYBOOK and receive exclusive bonuses: https://drgabriellelyon.com/playbook/

Want ad-free episodes, exclusives and access to community Q&As? Subscribe to Forever Strong Insider: https://foreverstrong.supercast.com

If you are only focusing on building muscle, you are missing half the equation for long-term mobility. In this mashup episode, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon brings together top orthopedic experts to discuss the critical importance of joint and tendon health.

While muscle develops relatively quickly, your tendons and ligaments can take 6 to 9 months to fully adapt to a new training stimulus. This gap is where most injuries happen. We dive deep into the biological mechanics of tendons, the"athletic accommodation timeline," and why you must progressively overload your connective tissue—not just your muscle bellies.

You will learn:

1. The Menopause Connection: Why women face a 30% higher risk of arthritis and rapid bone loss after age 50, and the role of estrogen in joint inflammation.
2. Osteoporosis Prevention: Why high-impact "flight" exercises (jumping) are more effective for bone density than traditional lifting alone.
3. The Frozen Shoulder Mystery: How to identify the warning signs and why this condition is often linked to hormonal shifts rather than trauma.
4. Injury Recovery & Prehab: The truth about PRP, needle tenotomy, and the "anti-fragility" mindset needed to build a resilient body.
5. The History of Muscle: How ancient Greek views of "pneuma" and the "gift of strength" shaped our modern misunderstanding of movement.

Stop training until you break. Learn how to track your progress, prioritize stability over raw mobility, and design a life built for anti-fragility.

0:00 - The Gap Between Muscle and Tendon Adaptation

1:32 - What Are Tendons? Visco-Elasticity and Force Dissipation

4:36 - The Rotator Cuff: Stabilizing the "Golf Ball on a Tee" 6:40 - The Athletic Accommodation Timeline: Why 6-9 Months Matters

8:36 - Progressive Overload for Connective Tissue, Not Just Muscle

11:36 - GLP-1s and Bone Health: Does Ozempic Increase Fracture Risk?

14:34 - Preventing Osteoporosis: The Power of Impact Training

18:15 - Bisphosphonates vs. Mechanical Loading for Bone Quality

21:10 - The Hidden History of Muscle: From Galen to Ancient Greece

26:48 - The Myth of "Pneuma" and the Soul in the Muscle

30:55 - Supercompensation: The "Gift from Zeus" in Performance

36:35 - Defining Impact Exercise: Why "Flight" is Better for Bones

39:48 - Building Your Base: Why Bone Health is Won Before Age 30

42:38 - Oral Contraceptives and Peroperative Blood Clot Risks

45:21 - The Hard Truth: How Nicotine Destroys Orthopedic Healing

47:55 - Testosterone and Muscle Mass vs. Bone Density in Women

51:41 - Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-s) and Stress Fractures

55:53 - Long-Term Menopause Consequences: Mobility and Hip Fractures

1:01:58 - Tendinopathy Treatments: Needle Tenotomy, 10X, and PRP

1:07:26 - Full Thickness vs. Incomplete Tendon Tears

1:12:05 - Prehab is Real: The Push-Up with a Plus and Skater Squats

1:13:58 - The Biomechanics of the Gate Cycle & Pelvic Stability

1:17:31 - Medications that Destroy Tendons: Fluoroquinolones & Statins

1:20:02 - Corticosteroids: Balancing Short-Term Relief with Repair Issues

1:24:12 - Nutrition for Joint Health: Collagen, Vitamin C, and Leucine

1:27:11 - Thyroid and Sex Hormone Influence on Tendon Metabolism 1:31:50 - The "Menopause Arthritis" Phenomenon

1:54:04 - Mobility vs. Stability: The 2x2 Evaluation Table

2:11:06 - Zone 2 vs. HIIT: Raising the Ceiling of Human Performance

2:24:21 - Anti-Fragility: Using Stressors to Get Stronger

Thank you to our sponsors:

1. PaleoValley - Get 15% off automatically at https://paleovalley.com/DRLYON
2. OneSkin - Get 15% off with the code DRLYON – https://www.oneskin.co
3. Branch Basics - 15% off and free shipping on the Starter Kit when you use code DRLYON at BranchBasics.com/DRLYON
4. PIQUE - Get 20% off for life + a complimentary gift Piquelife.com/DRLYON

Find Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein at:

Duke Health - https://www.dukehealth.org/find-docto...

Instagram - @jocelyn_wittstein_md

The Complete Bone and Joint Health Plan - Find it at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Find Gerard D'Onofrio, MD

Web: https://www.summithealth.com/doctors/provider/1376049130

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gerarddonofrio27

Find Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at:

1. Instagram:@drgabriellelyon
2. TikTok: @drgabriellelyon
3. Facebook: facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyon
4. YouTube: youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyon
5. X (Twitter): x.com/drgabriellelyon
6. Apply to become a patient – https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/
7. Join my weekly newsletter – https://institute-for-muscle-centric-medicine.ck.page
8. Pre-order my new book - https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1668085623

Disclaimers: This episode includes paid sponsorships.

The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.