Tendonitis

Causes

Tendonitis is the inflammation of a tendon.  It occurs most commonly after excessive overuse but is sometimes due to bacterial infection, or a generalised rheumatoid disease (eg rheumatoid arthritis).

Tendonitis can occur anywhere in the body where we have tendons, most commonly in the elbows (tennis elbow), knees (patellar tendonitis), heels (Achilles tendonitis), and shoulders (rotator cuff tendonitis).

Symptoms 

The symptoms of tendonitis include: 

  • Pain in the tendon (in the knees, shoulder, or elbow) increases with movement.
  • Stiffness Difficulty in moving the shoulder, the elbow of knee
  • Feeling of grating or a crackling sensation when you move the affected area
  • Swelling, and sometimes with heat or redness
  • A lump on the tendon
  • Loss of mobility and strength of the affected area

Treatment 

Initial home treatment can prove very effective in treating tendonitis.  Use the RICE methodology for 2 or 3 days to help reduce any swelling support the injury:

  1. Rest – cease from any activity that may have caused the injury in the first place
  2. Ice – Apply an ice pack (of a bag of frozen peas) to the injured area for 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
  3. Compress – support the injury by wrapping it in a bandage
  4. Elevate – to help reduce swelling raise the injured area for example with a pillow

To help reduce any further swelling, avoid heat such as heat packs or hot baths, alcohol, and massages.

Where the pain persists physical treatment can prove very effective.  A combination of stretching and strengthening exercises is used to loosen the tendon and relieve tightness and pain. Anti- Inflammatory gels can be used to reduce inflammation. 

At The Hannon Clinic, we seek to find the cause of the tendonitis and then work with you to help you make any necessary changes to reduce the chance of reoccurrence.