Tendinitis: Symptoms, Causes, Tests and Treatment

Tendinitis is a condition where the connective tissues between your muscles and bones (tendons) become inflamed. Often caused by repetitive ... ThinkyoumayhaveCOVID-19? Findoutwhereyoucangettested Needavaccineorbooster? Scheduletoday ComingtoaClevelandCliniclocation? Visitationandmaskrequirements Home / HealthLibrary / Disease&Conditions Tendinitis Tendinitisisaconditionwheretheconnectivetissuesbetweenyourmusclesandbones(tendons)becomeinflamed.Oftencausedbyrepetitiveactivities,tendinitiscanbepainful.Itcommonlyhappensintheelbow,knee,shoulder,hip,Achillestendonandbaseofthethumb.Tendinitisisalsocalledtendonitis. Appointments216.444.2606 Appointments&Locations RequestanAppointment Overview SymptomsandCauses ManagementandTreatment Prevention Outlook/Prognosis LivingWith Tendinitis Overview SymptomsandCauses ManagementandTreatment Prevention Outlook/Prognosis LivingWith BackToTop Overview TendinitisOverview Whatistendinitis? Tendinitis(ortendonitis)isaninflammationorirritationofatendon.Tendonsarepiecesofconnectivetissuebetweenmusclesandbones.Tendinitiscanbeeitheracute(short-term)orchronic(long-term)innature. Whogetstendinitis? Anyonecangettendinitis.However,it'smorecommoninthosewhodorepetitiveactivities.Someoftheseactivitiesinclude: Gardening/landscaping. Woodworking. Shoveling. Painting. Scrubbing. Tennis,golf,skiing,baseball(throwingandpitching). Otherriskfactorsfortendinitisinclude: Poorpostureatworkorhome. Presenceofcertaindiseasesthatcanweakenmuscles.Thesediseasescaninclude: Rheumatoidarthritis. Gout/pseudogout. Bloodorkidneydiseases. Adults40yearsofageandolder.Astendonsage,theytoleratelessstress,arelesselasticandtearmoreeasily. Medications(rareoccurrence)thatcancausetendonstotear.Thesemedicationscaninclude: Fluoroquinoloneantibiotics(suchasciprofloxacin[Cipro®]andnorfloxacin[Noroxin®]). Statins(drugsthatlowercholesterol). Wheredoestendinitisoccur? Tendinitiscanoccurinalmostanyareaofthebodywhereatendonconnectsabonetoamuscle.Themostcommonplacesare: Baseofthethumb. Elbow. Shoulder. Hip. Knee. Achillestendon(connectsthecalfmusclestotheheelbone). SymptomsandCauses Whatcausestendinitis? Tendinitismostofteniscausedbyrepetitive,minorimpactontheaffectedarea,orfromasudden,moreseriousinjury. Whatarethesymptomsoftendinitis? Oneofthemainsymptomsoftendinitisispainatthesiteofthetendonandsurroundingarea.Painmaybeagradualbuilduporsuddenandsevere,especiallyifcalciumdepositsarepresent. ManagementandTreatment Howistendinitistreated? First-linetreatmentincludes: Avoidingactivitiesthataggravatetheproblem. Restingtheinjuredarea. Icingtheareathedayoftheinjury. Takingover-the-counteranti-inflammatorymedicines. Iftheconditiondoesnotimproveinaboutthreeweeks,seeyourdoctor.Youmayneedmoreadvancedtreatments,including: Corticosteroidinjections:Corticosteroids(oftencalled“steroids”)areoftenusedbecausetheyworkquicklytodecreasetheinflammationandpain. Physicaltherapy:Physicaltherapyincludesrangeofmotionexercisesandsplinting(thumb,forearm,hands). Surgery:Thisisrarelyneededandonlyforsevereproblemsthatdonotrespondtoothertreatments. Prevention HowcanIavoidtendinitis? Toavoidgettingtendinitis,followthesetips: Avoidstayinginthesameposition.Takebreaksevery30minutes. Learnproperposturepositionsforallactivities. Positionyourbodydirectlyinfrontoftheobjectyouwanttopickup.Reachfortheobjectbystretchingyourarmandhanddirectlyforwardtowardtheobject.Nevergrabobjectswithyourarminasidewaysposition.Ifreachingforanobjectoverhead,centeryourbodyandreachupandgrabtheitemwithbothhands. Useafirm,butnotatightlysqueezed,gripwhenworkingwithorpickingupobjects. Don'tuseonehandtocarryheavyobjects.Don'tholdtheheavyobjectinonehandatthesideofyourbody. Avoidsittingwithyourlegfoldedunder. Stopanyactivityifyoufeelpain. Beforeexercisingorstartingasportsactivity: Stretchandwarmupbeforestartingtheactivity. Wearproperlysizedandfittedclothes,shoesandequipment. Startslow.Graduallyincreaseyouractivitylevel. Outlook/Prognosis Howlongwillrecoveryfromtendinitistake? Itmaytakeweekstomonthstorecoverfromtendinitis,dependingontheseverityofyourinjury. LivingWith WhenshouldIcallthedoctorabouttendinitis? Youshouldseeyourdoctorifyouexperienceanyofthefollowing: Fever(over100degreesFahrenheit). Swelling,rednessandwarmth. Generalillnessormultiplesitesofpain. Inabilitytomovetheaffectedarea. Thesecouldbesignsofanotherproblemthatneedsmoreimmediateattention. Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Getuseful,helpfulandrelevanthealth+wellnessinformation enews ClevelandClinicisanon-profitacademicmedicalcenter.Advertisingonoursitehelpssupportourmission.Wedonotendorsenon-ClevelandClinicproductsorservices. Policy RelatedInstitutes&Services Orthopaedic&RheumatologicInstitute ClevelandClinicoffersexpertdiagnosis,treatmentandrehabilitationforbone,jointorconnectivetissuedisordersandrheumaticandimmunologicdiseases. ClevelandClinicisanon-profitacademicmedicalcenter.Advertisingonoursitehelpssupportourmission.Wedonotendorsenon-ClevelandClinicproductsorservices. Policy Morehealthnews+info ShowMore Appointments216.444.2606 Appointments&Locations RequestanAppointment Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest Snapchat