Trent Salo - Assessing & Improving Tendon Health

About this episode

Trent Salo discusses the complexities of tendon health and strategies for improving tendon function and performance.

Episode 211: In this episode, Andy McDonald is joined by Trent — founder of The Tendon Lab and a specialist in Achilles and Patellar tendon health. Trent brings nearly a decade of professional basketball experience as a physical therapist, strength coach, and former VP of Player Health and Performance into his focused clinical and research practice in Traverse City, Michigan. A former collegiate basketball player turned tendon scientist, his work now centres exclusively on evaluating and enhancing tendon structure and function. Alongside consulting with professional teams on high-performance systems and return-to-play processes, Trent is pursuing his PhD in tendon health under one of the world’s leading tendon researchers. His mission is clear: bridge the gap between emerging tendon science and the realities of performance environments. Across the conversation, Trent unpacks what “tendon health” really means beyond pain or imaging alone. He explores how structure, function, and symptoms interact — and why they don’t always move in parallel. The discussion dives into the role of UTC imaging, intelligent loading strategies, and how to progress athletes toward high-level…

People in this episode

Host: Andy McDonald

Guest: Trent Salo

Topics covered

• tendon health
• Achilles tendon
• Patellar tendon
• UTC imaging
• progressive tendon loading
• athlete performance

Keywords

• tendon health
• Achilles tendon
• Patellar tendon
• UTC imaging
• progressive loading
• athlete performance
• tendon structure
• tendon function

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Tendon Lab

Places: Traverse City, Michigan

More episodes of Inform Performance

• Accelerate - Allan MacDonald: Decision Making in Sport · June 8, 2026 · 58 min
• Simon Wallace: Achilles Tendon Repair Rehab · May 25, 2026 · 51 min
• Accelerate - Dr Naomi Myhill: Translating Elite Sport to Consumer Health · May 11, 2026 · 54 min
• Hannah Marchant - A Real World MPFL Case Study · April 28, 2026 · 31 min
• Accelerate - Brian Moore: The 15 Year Build: Science Leads and Tech Follows · April 13, 2026 · 58 min
• Athletic Shoulder - Richie Gray: Bridging Rehab & Performance in Collision Sport · March 30, 2026 · 45 min