Tendonitis

What is tendonitis?

Tendons attach muscles to bones. Tendonitis develops slowly and is caused by overworking the tendons. Tiny tears occur on a tendon when it is constantly overworked. The tendon becomes irritated which causes swelling and pain.

If you have had tendonitis for a long time scar tissue may develop in the tendon. This is called tendonosis.

What is the cause?

The most common cause of tendonitis is increasing the length of time or intensity of an activity or exercise program too quickly. Tendonitis in the knee, foot, and calf are common in athletes who do sports that involve running and jumping. Tendonitis in the knees can also occur from biking. Activities like swimming, swinging a golf club, or pitching a ball can cause tendonitis in the shoulder. Wearing worn-out shoes, poor conditioning, or training mistakes are other possible causes.

Body structure problems like having bowlegs, one leg shorter than the other, or flat feet can also lead to tendonitis. Tendonitis may also occur from repeated motion such as typing or using a hammer.

What is the treatment?

Often people try to stand the pain and do nothing. They hope that it will simply go away. Sadly, more serious symptoms may begin if these early symptoms are ignored. The occasional pain will change to constant aching, pain, and stiffness before, during, and after exercise. The tendon will also hurt when the area is touched.

If you are having pain:

• Stop the activity that is causing the problem for a short time.
• Apply ice packs to the area for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 or 4 hours. Do this for 2 or 3 days or until the pain goes away.
• You can also do ice massage. Massage your injured tendon with ice by freezing water in a paper or Styrofoam cup. Peel the top of the cup away to expose the ice and hold onto the bottom of the cup while you rub the ice over your injury for 5-10 minutes.

You can keep doing activities that do not stress or cause pain to the injured area. Make sure to stretch before doing any activities. Also, you may need to cross train. That is, instead of doing only one sport, try different activities to prevent overuse injuries.

Take anti-inflammatory medicines as approved by your healthcare provider. Adults aged 65 years and older should not take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine for more than 7 days without their healthcare provider's approval. See your provider if the problem does not go away in a couple of weeks. Irritated tendons can tear if left untreated. When this happens more serious treatment such as a wearing a cast or surgery is needed.

How can I prevent tendonitis?

• When you exercise, wear shoes that fit right and are made for the activity.
• Gently stretch before and after exercising.
• Use proper form and posture during your activities, whether they are sports or job-related. For instance, be sure your tennis stroke is correct and that your tennis racket has the proper grip size.
• Warm up before exercising or doing other activities.
• Ice any stiff or sore joints after exercise or work.

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIA File ORRE4157.HTM Release 11.0/2008

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