Kiio, a Madison-based tech company with a health engagement platform, is partnering with the Department of Defense to test and develop a new protocol for treating — and potentially avoiding — a painful condition called tendinopathy.

Tendinopathy is a term for a disease of the tendon, the tough connective tissue between bones and muscles.

Issues are usually seen near the joints, which often endure repetitive, damaging movements. Though overuse has been identified as related to tendinopathy, other factors, including obesity, may play a role.

“Chronic tendinopathy is one of the most common musculoskeletal diseases,” said John Wilson, a doctor at UW-Madison who will guide the testing of this new protocol. “There is currently no efficient, standardized, objective method to quantify tendon performance, and this is a significant limitation in our ability to assess treatment efficacy.”

To create a protocol for treatment and risk assessment of tendinopathy, Kiio worked with Patrick Grabowski of UW-La Crosse. Now, that protocol will be tested on 318 participants — some will be healthy, while some will be affected by tendon issues. Read the full story here.

Read the Xconomy story here.