If you’re one of 70,000 people a year dealing with pain and tenderness where muscles attach to bones, then you’re probably dealing with tendonitis. This condition is common in people over 40, but anyone can find themselves dealing with the dull aches and mild swelling that often come with it.
Without treatment, tendonitis can go from minor to causing real damage in the form of tendon ruptures, which can require surgery to mend. Fortunately, you can avoid reaching this point with treatment and some basic steps to prevent future problems. Let’s spend some time exploring what tendonitis is, what increases the risk, and how it can be treated.
Patients in the The Woodlands, Texas, area looking for relief from tendonitis can find help with The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre. Our experienced staff of sports medicine therapists, orthopedic surgeons, and experienced athletic trainers offers state of the art treatments for joint pain, wound care and a variety of other pain relief.
Tendons are fibrous, connective tissue located at the end of muscles that attach to your bones. They are located throughout the body, but when dealing with tendonitis the tendons near your joints (elbows, knees, shoulders, wrists, and heels) are the common places for problems to occur. Your tendons move with your muscles as you move, and can help absorb some of the impact while you're moving. Tendonitis happens when your tendons become inflamed or irritated and can affect your mobility in the affected joints.
Repetitive motion is a common cause of tendonitis, when normal activities cause you to move your limbs and joints in a certain way repeatedly over a long period of time. This can happen with repetitive actions in sports, hobbies, jobs, and other everyday functions. Over time, the tendons are stressed to the point of inflammation. Pain, tenderness, and swelling are common symptoms of tendonitis.
Common terms for tendonitis in specific joints resulting from repetitive motion include tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, pitcher’s shoulder, swimmer’s shoulder, and jumper’s knee. Other high risk factors include age (your tendons become less flexible as you get older), forceful exertion, and frequently reaching overhead.
Treating this condition is focused on relieving pain and easing the stress on your tendons. Common treatments include over the counter pain relievers (naproxen sodium and ibuprofen such drugs like Aleve®, Advil®, and Motrin IB®), topical creams, anti inflammatory medication, corticosteroids, and our individualized treatment plans may include:
While tendonitis is a frustrating condition to deal with, it is quite treatable. If you’re looking to get rid of your tendonitis, make an appointment with the team at The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre today.
