Blog article

What is it?

Tendons connect muscles to bones. In tendonitis they get inflamed .

Why?

It is an overuse injury. Commonly found in:

Elbows - tennis and golfers elbow plus weeding and  pruning, lifting heavy objects, woodworking.

Shoulder - Throwing a ball, reaching up high repeatedly, painting, pruning high,shovelling, poor posture.

Hip - Excess bushwalking, stair climbing

Achilles tendon - running, plus various sports

An injury

Strain from sudden movements

Other risk factors

• Poor posture
• Age - after 40 years tendons tolerate less stress, are less elastic and tear more easily

Symptoms

• Pain at  the site of the tendon area.
• Pain worse when you move
• Stiff joints or difficulty moving your joints
• Hearing or feeling a cracking or popping sensation when you move
• Swelling at the site

Treatment

Step one

1. Icing the area the day of the injury
2. Avoid activities that cause the symptoms
3. Rest!!
4. Anti inflammatories
5. If no improvement in 3-4 weeks other treatments can be done.

Step two

1. Go to your doctor to get some scans done. Depending on the results any of the suggestions below can be initiated.

2.Corticosteroid injections or acupuncture to reduce inflammation

3. Physical therapy - The use of range of motion exercises to improve mobility of the joint. Massage to the surrounding muscle area to unload the tendon and cross friction massage to the tendon to improve movement and spread out the fibres.

3. And a gradual loading of the tendon by exercises is a must to strengthen the tendon back to its original function. A physio or chiropracter will give you an exercise programme

How long to heal?

This all depends on the severity of the tendon injury. Mild tendonitis may heal 2-3 weeks after treatment. For severe cases several months is the norm.

The best way to speed up your healing time is rest. So, do not participate in strenuous exercises or activities that can put stress on your tendon. Easier said than done! Not many of us are very patient when it comes to getting back to our normal activities whether it be gardening, tennis, swimming , running or your job such as painting or landscaping.

How do I prevent tendonitis?

• Avoid staying in the one position. Take a break every 30 mins.
• Learn proper posture and body positions for all activities.
• Position your body directly in front of an object you want to lift; never sideways or one handed. If an overhead object reach up and grab the object with both hands, centering your body. 
• Avoid sitting with your leg folded under your bottom. This creates a strain in your buttock and knee tendons. 

Lowering your risk

• Stretch and warm up before any activity
• Wear properly fitting shoes and equipment
• Start slow. Gradually increase your activity level.
• Stop if you feel pain

WARNING

If you develop tendinitis and get treated you can get tendonitis again if you put too much strain on it.

It can be very challenging if you are an active person or play sport. Hang in there. It will get better. You just need patience.

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