Description

Tendonitis is a term for any condition that affects the tendon. Tendons are cords that attach muscle to bone. Tendinitis, which can cause pain and tenderness is common. It is often caused by overuse or repeated the motion and tends to affect certain tendons in the arm or leg.

Tendonitis is an umbrella term for conditions that affect the tendon that include tendinitis, tendinosis and tenosynovitis:

  • Tendonitis is new or sudden swelling and irritation, the call of inflammation of a tendon. Often, people mistakenly call all the tendons of the terms of this term.
  • Tendinosis is the decomposition of the change in the tendon that occurs gradually over time.
  • Tenosynovitis is the inflammation of a thin layer of tissue that surrounds the tendon, called the sheath.

Tendon conditions may occur in any tendon, but they are common in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and heels. The majority of tendonitis can be treated with rest, physical therapy, and medications to reduce pain.

Types of

There are many types of tendinitis. Common tendinopathies are:

  • Achilles tendinitis. The Achilles tendon is the band of tissue that connects calf muscles at the back of the calf to the heel bone. Achilles tendonitis is caused by overuse or stress on the Achilles, as when a runner increases the intensity of the program in execution.
  • Biceps tendonitis. Also known as tendinitis bicipital, this type of tendonitis is irritation of the tendon that connects the biceps muscle to the shoulder joint. It is often caused by the movement of your arms above your head several times. It can also occur in the elbow and is usually seen in people who lift heavy weights in their jobs or fitness programs.
  • Calcific tendonitis. This type of tendinitis of the results of the calcium deposits in the tendon. What causes the formation of calcium deposits is not clear, but researchers believe that there may be a genetic component. This condition can cause pain when you move the joint and is more common in the shoulder.
  • De Quervain's tenosynovitis. This painful condition, also known as Gamer's thumb, affects the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. It is caused by the long-term, repetitive movements of the hand or wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, you may feel pain when you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist.
  • Gluteal tendinopathy. This condition is caused by inflammation of a tendon on the side of the hip. It can cause pain and tenderness in that area. It is much more common in women. You may also hear this condition known as greater trochanteric pain syndrome or bursitis. The greater trochanter is the part of the hip bone where muscles and tendons attach. The causes may include overuse, injury, excess weight, and hormonal changes.
  • The golfer's elbow. Also known as medial epicondylitis, golfer's elbow causes pain in the tendons of the forearm muscles attach to the bony bump on the inside of the elbow. The pain may spread to the forearm and the wrist. It's not limited to golfers, but it is often caused by repeated rotation of the forearm and wrist.
  • Tendinopathy of the hamstring. This condition affects the tendon that connects the hamstring muscles of the "sit-bone" in the hip. Often the cause of pain when sitting and walking up the stairs and is commonly seen in runners.
  • Patellar Tendinitis. This condition, also known as jumper's knee, is an injury to the tendon that connects the patella, the flame of the patella, the tibia. Patellar tendonitis is most common in athletes whose sports involve frequent jumping, such as basketball and volleyball. But even people who do not take part in jumping sports can get patellar tendinitis.
  • Rotator cuff injury. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint. Rotator cuff injuries are most often caused by the wear and tear of the tissue of the tendon over time by repeated overhead movements or lifting heavy objects. It is common in people with jobs, such as carpentry or in people who play sports like baseball or tennis. A rotator cuff injury can cause a dull pain in the back that is worse at night or with the achievement.
  • The tennis elbow. Also known as lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow, the pain can be caused by overuse of the muscles and tendons in the elbow. It is often linked to the repetitive movements of the wrist and the arm, for example, the motions used in tennis, and other similar sports.

Symptoms

Tendinitis of the symptoms can vary depending on the type. The symptoms tend to occur when the tendon is inserted into the bone, and, often, include:

  • The pain, often described as a dull pain, especially when moving the pain of a limb or joint.
  • The stiffness, or weakness in the affected area.
  • Tenderness in the affected area.
  • A little bit of swelling.

When to see a doctor

You can treat many cases of tendinitis with self-care measures, such as rest, ice and pain relievers. Consult your health care professional if your symptoms do not subside after a couple of days and if you stand in the way of daily activities.

Causes

Tendonitis can be caused by wear and tear in a tendon. This can happen due to overuse or naturally over time as people age and their tendons become less flexible. The majority of the people of developing tendinitis due to their jobs or hobbies that involve movements are repeated again and again. Jobs, such as carpentry or painting the house or the practice of sports such as baseball, tennis, and golf require the same movements are repeated. Over time, this puts stress on the tendons. Some of tendinopathies can also be caused by sudden injury, such as a fall or an accident.

How you move when you do sport or activity may affect your risk of developing tendinitis. Moving incorrectly can overload the tendon. Having the proper form and technique is especially important when the repetition of movements for sports or work.

Risk factors

Risk factors for the development of tendonitis include older age, and have jobs or hobbies that means doing the same motion over and over again. Some medical conditions and certain medications may also increase the risk.

Age

As people get older, their tendons become less flexible, making the tendon more easily hurt.

Work

Tendinitis is more common in some workers, such as gardeners, carpenters, and painters, whose jobs involve:

  • Repeated motions, such as raking or swinging a hammer.
  • The overhead movements, such as reaching up.

Activities

When you are doing physical activities, the following factors may increase your risk of developing tendonitis:

  • Sudden increase in the amount or difficulty of the training.
  • Very little recovery time after an injury or too little time to get used to the activity again after a long time off.
  • Hard surfaces, such as concrete or gym floors.
  • Lack of equipment, such as old shoes, or without a good support.
  • A bad posture or poor technique, as it incorrectly when playing tennis, or throwing a ball.

Medical conditions and medications

If you have certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, or taking certain medications, you may have an increased risk of tendinitis. Medications that may increase risk include:

  • Antibiotics called fluoroquinolones.
  • Corticosteroids, such as cortisone.
  • Statins used to lower cholesterol levels.
  • Aromatase inhibitors are used to lower the risk of breast cancer.

Prevention

To reduce the likelihood of developing tendinitis, follow these suggestions:

  • Easily. Avoid activities that put too much stress on the tendons, especially for long periods of time. If you have pain during exercise, stop and rest.
  • Mix. If an exercise or activity that causes pain, take a break and try something else. Cross-training can help the mixture of high-impact exercise, such as running, with low-impact exercises, such as cycling or swimming.
  • Improve the way you move. If you do not perform an activity or exercise correctly, you could be setting yourself up for problems with the tendons. Think about taking lessons or getting professional advice when starting a new sport or the use of exercise equipment.
  • Prepare your muscles. Strengthen the muscles used in your sport or activity. For example, if you play baseball, the use of weights to strengthen the specific muscles that need to be used. Strengthening the muscles that you are going to use them can help bear the load better and lower the risk of injury.

Diagnosis

Often a medical history and a physical examination are sufficient to diagnose many types of tendinitis. Your health care professional may put pressure on the affected joint and the movement of the joint in different positions.

Sometimes, your health care professional may use imaging tests to help with diagnosis. Imaging tests may include:

  • The x-ray. This imaging test can show bone spurs or other potential causes for the pain, such as arthritis. Your health care professional may use X-rays to rule out other conditions that could be causing the symptoms.
  • Ultrasound. This type of imaging test that uses sound waves to make pictures of structures inside the body, such as muscles and tendons.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI uses radio waves and a magnetic field to create detailed images of the affected area of the body.

Treatment

The objectives of the tendonitis treatment is to relieve pain, reduce irritation and prevent future tendon conditions. Self-care, including rest, ice and pain relievers, may be all you need. Change the way you do certain activities and doing physical therapy exercises can help improve the pain and prevent future injuries. Other treatment options include non-invasive and surgical procedures.

Treatment options for tendonitis may include:

Medications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, naproxen sodium (Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), may help relieve the pain. You can also apply pain-relieving creams or gels for the skin.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy exercises can help to strengthen the muscle and the tendon in the affected area. You can do resistance exercises to effectively treat many of the long-term, so-called chronic tendon conditions.

Surgical and other procedures

  • The steroid injections. The efficacy of steroid injections for tendonitis varies depending on the condition. A steroid injection around the tendon may help to relieve the pain for a short period of time. But repeated injections of steroids can weaken the tendon and increase the risk of tendon tear over time.
  • Dry needling. In this procedure, a health care professional makes a small hole in the tendon with a very thin needle, which. you can reduce the pain in the tendon.
  • The shock wave therapy. This treatment involves sending shock waves to the injured tissue to relieve pain and help the tissue heal. A tool that is placed on the skin provides shock-waves.
  • The ultrasound therapy. This treatment can be used to promote healing in tendon damaged by the increase of blood flow to the area.
  • Barbotage. This minimally invasive procedure that uses a needle and saline solution to dissolve and remove the calcium deposits. Ultrasound is used to guide the needle to the correct location.
  • The tenotomy. This procedure is generally guided with ultrasound and use a needle or a specialized device for making holes in the tendon, which may help trigger factors involved in tendon healing. Specialized needle-like devices you can also remove unhealthy tissue of the tendon, called debridement, which may make the procedure more effective.
  • Platelet-rich Plasma therapy. This treatment involves taking a sample of your own blood and the spinning of the blood to separate out the platelets and other healing factors. The solution is injected into the area of long-term irritation of the tendons. The research is still in the exploration of the best way, the use of platelet-rich plasma, but has been shown to be promising in the treatment of many chronic tendon conditions.
  • Surgery. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may need surgery to repair the tendon, especially if the tendon has torn away from the bone. There are both minimally invasive and open procedures. Minimally invasive techniques in general have less pain and faster recovery than an open procedure. An open procedure requires a larger incision. What is the best procedure for you will depend on the type of tendon injury and its location.

Self-care

Many times, pain in the tendons and the injuries can be treated at home. Self-care measures include:

  • Rest. Avoid doing things that increase the pain, or swelling. Don't try to work or to play through the pain. Healing requires rest, but does not include bed rest. You can do other activities and exercises that do not stress the injured tendon. Swimming and exercising in the water can be a good option.
  • Of ice. To decrease pain, muscle spasm and swelling, apply ice to the injured area for 20 minutes several times a day. Ice packs, ice massage, or sleet bathrooms with ice and water, can all help. For an ice massage, freeze a paper cup full of water so that you can hold the cup while applying the ice directly on the skin.
  • Pain relievers. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may help to reduce the pain caused by the inflammation in the tendon.

Preparing for your appointment

You could start by talking with the family health care professional. Your healthcare provider may refer you to a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, sports medicine or orthopedic surgery to more-specialized care.

What you can do

You can write a list that includes:

  • Details about your symptoms.
  • Other medical conditions that I have ever had.
  • All the drugs, vitamins, and supplements you are taking, including dosage.
  • Questions you want to ask the care team.

For tendinopathies, some basic questions to ask include:

  • What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
  • There are other possible causes?
  • What tests do I need?
  • What treatment do you recommend it?
  • I need to leave any of my medications before or after the treatment?
  • I have other medical conditions. Best how can I manage together?
  • I have to limit my activities?
  • What self-care I can do at home?

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthcare provider is likely to ask you questions, such as:

  • Where do you feel the pain?
  • When the pain started?
  • Did it start all at once or little by little?
  • What kind of work do you do?
  • What are your hobbies?
  • Thou hast been instructed in the correct way to do the activity?
  • The pain occur or worsen during certain activities?
  • Have you recently had a fall, or another type of injury?
  • What treatments have been tried in the house?
  • What were the treatments?
  • What, in any case, it makes your symptoms better?
  • What, in any case, it makes your symptoms worse?
Symptoms and treatment of Tendinopathy