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Tendonitis is described as inflammation, swelling, and irritation of a tendon. It is a painful condition that is most often felt at the tendon insertion site. Tendons are bands of fibrous material... |
Tendonitis is described as inflammation, swelling, and irritation of a tendon. It is a painful condition that is most often felt at the tendon insertion site. Tendons are bands of fibrous material that attach muscle to the bone. Tendonitis usually occurs in middle or old age and develops when people have used the same motion over and over again for an extended period of time.
When tendonitis occurs in younger people, it is usually caused by performing the same motion very frequently over a short period of time. The most common areas which tendonitis occurs is in the tendons of the hands, tendons of the upper arm that connect with the shoulder, and the tendons that run across the top of the foot and the Achilles tendon.
The cause of tendonitis is due to the overuse, injury, infection, of the loss of elasticity in the tendons. The cause of tendonitis may also be related to diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout. Often, the cause of tendonitis is not known.
Tendonitis occurs mainly in the tendons of the wrists, heel, shoulder, or elbows; however it can also show up in any tendon in the body. The most common type of tendonitis is Achilles tendonitis due to over pronation. This occurs when stress is placed on the Achilles tendon while walking, but it may also occur due to improper shoes, not stretching the Achilles tendon properly, an injury, or a deformity in the bone of the heel.
The cure for tendonitis involves resting the joint that is causing the pain, immobilizing the joint, and icing the area. Other cures include pain relief medications, cortisone injections, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and natural and traditional therapies. Sometimes the only cure for tendonitis may involve surgery. With proper rest, however, tendonitis may cure itself after a few weeks.
Immobilizing the joint with a brace, splint, wrap, sling, or crutches to help ensure the joint is not used. If the joint pain is within the shoulder or elbow, regular exercise may be necessary for the tendonitis cure. This exercise, as all exercise programs, should begin with a few minutes a day before gradually working up to several minutes a day.
Curing tendonitis may also involve treating the pain and reducing the inflammation. Sometimes this can be done with simple over the counter medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen.
It is important to consult a doctor to determine if these medications should be used for the long term as taking these medications over the recommended doses may cause nausea, stomach pain or bleeding, or ulcers. Rarely, these drugs can disrupt normal kidney function as well.
The tendonitis cure may also involve the doctor injecting cortisone directly into the tissue surrounding the tendon in order to quickly relieve pain and reduce inflammation. However, this tendonitis cure has some bad side effects such as tendon weakness and increased risk of tearing the tendon. Tendonitis which requires surgery involves scraping out inflamed tissue and repairing tears in the tendon.