Tendinitis - WebMD

Tendinitis (also called tendonitis) is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle. Fitness&Exercise Home News Reference Slideshows Quizzes Videos WorkoutsA-Z Overview&Facts TipsforSuccess GetLean GetStrong FuelYourBody AllGuideTopics WhatIsTendinitis? Symptoms Diagnosis&Treatment RelatedTopics Diet&WeightManagement WeightLoss&Obesity Food&Recipes FoodCalculator ExerciseCalculator BMICalculator SportsInjuriesA-Z MoreRelatedTopics Fitness&Exercise Reference ArticlesOnTendinitis Tendinitis Tendinitis-Tendinitis WhatIsTendinitis? Symptoms Diagnosis&Treatment WhatIsTendinitis? Tendinitis(alsocalledtendonitis)isaninflammationorirritationofatendon,athickcordthatattachesbonetomuscle. WhatCausesTendinitis? Tendinitisismostoftencausedbyrepetitive,minorimpactontheaffectedarea,orfromasuddenmoreseriousinjury. Therearemanyactivitiesthatcancausetendinitis,including: Gardening Raking Carpentry Cleaninghouse Shoveling Painting Scrubbing Tennis Golf Skiing Throwingandpitching Incorrectpostureatworkorhomeorpoorconditioningbeforeexerciseorplayingsportsalsoincreasesaperson'srisk.Otherriskfactorsfortendinitisinclude: Anabnormalorpoorlyplacedboneorjoint(suchaslengthdifferencesinyourlegsorarthritisinajoint)thatstressessoft-tissuestructures. Stressesfromotherconditions,suchasrheumatoidarthritis,gout,psoriaticarthritis,thyroiddisorders,orunusualmedicationreactions. Overuseordoingtoomuchtoosoonwhenthetendonsaren'tusedtomakingamovementordoingthetasktakenon.Tendinitisiscommonin"weekendwarriors,"peoplethatplayandexercisehardonlyonweekends. Occasionallyaninfectioncancausetendinitis,especiallyinfectionfromacatordogbitetothehandorafinger. Psoriaticarthritis.Thisisacombinationofaskindisorder(psoriasis)andjointinflammation(arthritis).Youmostoftenmaynoticethrobbingpainandstiffnessoverthetendonsofyourfingers,hands,andtoes.   WhoGetsTendinitis? Anyonecangettendinitis,butitismorecommoninadults,especiallythoseoverage40. Astendonsagetheytoleratelessstress,arelesselastic,andareeasiertotear. WhereDoesTendinitisOccur? Tendinitiscanoccurinalmostanyareaofthebodywhereatendonconnectsabonetoamuscle.Themostcommonplacesare: Baseofthethumb Elbow Shoulder Hip Knee Achillestendon   WhatAretheSymptomsofTendinitis? Thesymptomsoftendinitisinclude: Painatthesiteofthetendonandsurroundingarea.Painmaygraduallybuilduporbesuddenandsevere,especiallyifcalciumdepositsarepresent. Lossofmotionintheshoulder,called"adhesivecapsulitis"orfrozenshoulder. Continued HowCanIAvoidTendinitis? Toavoidtendinitis,trythesetipswhenperformingactivities: Takeitslowatfirst.Graduallybuildupyouractivitylevel. Uselimitedforceandlimitedrepetitions. Stopifpainoccurs.Dosomethingelse.Tryagainlaterandifpainrecurs,stopthatactivityfortheday.   HowIsTendinitisTreated? Initialtreatmentoftendinitisincludes: Avoidingactivitiesthataggravatetheproblem Restingtheinjuredarea Icingtheareathedayoftheinjury Takingover-the-counteranti-inflammatorydrugsorusingtopicalanti-inflammatorygels Iftheconditiondoesnotimproveinaweek,seeyourdoctor.Youmayneedmoreadvancedtreatments,including: Corticosteroidinjections.Corticosteroids(oftencalledsimply"steroids")areoftenusedbecausetheyworkquicklytodecreasetheinflammationandpain. Physicaltherapy.Thiscanbeverybeneficial,especiallyfora"frozenshoulder."Physicaltherapyincludesrange-of-motionexercisesandsplinting(thumb,forearm,bands). Surgery.Thisisonlyrarelyneededforsevereproblemsnotrespondingtoothertreatments.   HowLongWillRecoveryFromTendinitisTake? Tendinitismaytakeweekstomonthstogoaway,dependingontheseverityofyourinjury. Warning Youshouldseeyourdoctorifyouexperienceanyofthefollowing: Fever(over100degreesFahrenheit) Swelling,redness,andwarmth Generalillnessormultiplesitesofpain Inabilitytomovetheaffectedarea Thesecouldbesignsofanotherproblemthatneedsmoreimmediateattention. Pagination NextInTendinitisSeries: Symptoms 7HabitsofSuper-HealthyPeople ExercisesThatEaseJointStiffness 10CommonRunningInjuries Yoga:HowItWorks,Types,andMore WhatIsInflammation? WhatIsMyRotatorCuff? ExercisesforHipPain VinnyTestaverde,QuarterbackfortheNewYorkJets TornAchillestendon:TreatmentandRecoveryofJimMilleroftheChicagoBears BicepsTendonitisandPrevention CanVitaminsHelpFightInflammation? RotatorCuffInjuriesTopics GetFitatHome:YouDon'tNeedaGymforThisWorkout BuildaBetterButt:WorkoutsforSlimandShapelyGlutes FitnessDosandDon'ts:TestYourKnowledgeonGettinginShape HydrationQuiz:HowMuchWaterDoYouNeed? 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