Tendonitis (which is also sometimes spelled tendinitis) is a form of painful inflammationin the tendons, which are the chord-like parts of the body that connect muscles to bones. Usually caused by repetitive movements (like exercise or sitting in the same position for many hours), injuries or built-up inflammation over time, tendonitis can cause a lot of pain.
People who are over 40 years old tend to get tendonitis more than younger people, but really anyone can development symptoms depending on how damaged versus elastic tendons become. It’s true that as we age, our ligaments, bones and tendons slowly weaken with everyday wear and tear, so we’re more likely to experience things like muscle or joint pain. Tendonitis comes down to experiencing inflamed tendons that are more susceptible to stress, strain, movement and tears. Despite what most people assume, this can affect people of all ages, sizes and physical activity levels, not just serious athletes or the elderly.
Tendonitis is treated in different ways depending on where it’s located on the body, how long it’s been present and the person’s physical activity level. If you visit an orthopedic or doctor to help treat your tendonitis, he or she might prescribe a treatment plan involving getting plenty of rest, taking time off from exercise, using ice/heat packs, attending physical therapy, or taking pain-killing and anti-inflammatory medications.
Most of the time drastic measures like having surgery performed or getting ongoing injections isn’t needed, but in the case where a tendon ruptures, these can be used to manage the situation quickly.
Tendonitis Signs and Symptoms
Tendonitis symptoms can vary in terms of how long they last, some healing within a couple weeks with others lasting for more than a few months. It really all depends on how severe your injury is, how long it’s been going on and how much inflammation has developed. The sooner you address the problem, rest and seek treatment, the quicker you should be able to see symptoms subside.
Some of the common areas of the body where tendonitis can develop include the knees, shoulders, heels, elbows, wrists, hips and hands. Different types of tendonitis go by various names depending on how and where it forms, for example:
- “Tennis elbow”
- “Golfer’s elbow”
- “Pitcher’s shoulder”
- “Swimmer’s shoulder”
- “Jumper’s knee”
Some common signs indicating that you might have tendonitis include:
- feeling pains and aches around a specific ligament, joint or muscle
- swelling and tenderness
- increased pain when moving or exercising
- stiffness
- trouble sleeping due to pain
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