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I developed some patellar tendinitis from squatting (doing Staring Strength) and not keeping good form as the weights increased.

I took a break from squats (have only very slight pain now) and have started again with an empty bar. I've read fish oil is good to reduce inflammation.

How much should I be taking per lb or kg of body weight, in terms of EPA and DHA. I'm around 80 kg and I'm reluctant to take 10 capsules a day as suggested by some sites.

2 Answers2

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Fish oil will purportedly help with inflammation, but the problem lies in finding out how much is enough.

More is not necessarily better. If you are injured, and it sounds like you are, your best friend is RICE, or Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Anti-inflammatory medication is sometimes included.

To reduce inflammation, I see no wrong in reading the instructions on the package containing the fish oil. Your body goes through three phases of healing. They are:

  • The Inflammation Phase
  • The Repair Phase
  • The Remodeling Phase

Your goal regarding these phases are to go through them as fast as possible. As long as you're in pain, it's safe to say you're staying in the inflammation phase.

Tendinitis is indicative of overuse. Take it easy-continuing exercise is important, but you risk greater injury given working with the injury. If you were my client, knee flexion and extension would likely be off limits unless it was low impact, like cycling.

Dietary recommendations are outside my scope of practice, and not enough information is given for me to feel comfortable doing so. You desire to be rid of inflammation, so in that respect I believe RICE is appropriate.

The median intake of DHA is between 1.2 to 1.6g/d for an adult male. No upper intake limit has been established, as there is no evidence stating someone's ever taken too much of it. I got that from the National Agricultural Library: Page 478, last paragraph, USDA report on DRI

Ellocomotive
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    I should add since you tagged the post with starting-strength, that you may be new to exercise. You need to take care not to overtrain. As with supplementation, more exercise is not better. The puritan work ethic does not apply to exercise.

    And as always, poor training equals poor results. Perfect form in almost all aspects.

     – Ellocomotive Jan 07 '14 at 03:00
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I would suggest that rather than looking to invest in fish oil, that you look to manage the pain and discomfort by stretching before and after each workout. Avoid any movements that cause pain that is not tolerable. That may mean cross training with a different activity. Most importantly, listen to what your body is telling you. Inflammation can become a chronic problem if not dealt with correctly.

rrirower
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