Tendonitis Care Through Holistic Methods

CSC offers combined care from chiropractors & physiotherapists for tendonitis. Get the best treatment for tendonitis and learn about home care therapy options when you call us!  

Chiropractic Specialty Center® provides focused tendonitis treatment through advanced methods or corrective chiropractic combined with clinical physiotherapy. Moreover, your therapy is enriched through advanced therapy devices to ensure lasting relief. This article provides information on causes, signs, symptoms, and the best therapy options for tendonitis.

What Is Tendonitis Or Tendinitis?

common locations for tendonitis

Tendonitis or tendinitis refers to the same condition. It is an inflammation or swelling of tendons. The most common cause of tendonitis or tendinitis is an overuse injury. Tendons are a type of tissue band that attaches muscle to bone. When the muscles contract, the tendons help move the joints and bones. Tendons can injure due to numerous reasons. Tendons can be large or small, like the delicate, miniature bands in the hands, like the thick cords that anchor the calf or thigh muscles.

Paradoxically, tendonitis can result from an infection, such as gonorrhea. Tendonitis is common in heels, elbows, knees, wrists, and shoulders, even though it can occur anywhere. For uncertain reasons, tendonitis is also common in people with diabetes. Why this happens is unknown.

In a short while, we will provide information about causes, symptoms, and tendonitis treatment options. Also, we will discuss things you can do to prevent them from in the first place.

Before we start, we like to point out that there are scenarios where the actual cause is unknown; when identifiable, the condition usually happens for one of two reasons:

  • Overuse — Repetitive motions or movements.
  • Overload — The degree of a specific action, such as weightlifting, is increased too quickly.

What Causes Tendonitis Pain?

Tendon injuries usually occur in sports activities – during sudden sharp movements such as jumping and throwing. It can also happen when you repeatedly overuse muscle (e.g., running or bicycling). On the other hand, tendonitis can also be caused due to repeated daily activities such as using the mopping, sweeping, computer mouse, or keyboard known as “Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).”

Tendonitis is similar to bursitis as they occur around bones and muscles. Both can occur anywhere in the body as far as tendonitis; it occurs mainly to tendons of muscle. In other words, it can impact your neck, shoulders, upper back, arms, elbows, wrists, mid-back, low back, hips, knees, legs, and of course ankles, and feet. Shoulder pain, leg pain, arm pain, and hip pain are common compliant, including neck and acute and chronic back pain in tendonitis patients.

Tendons can injure due to numerous reasons. The main types of tendon injuries are:

  • Tendonitis – This is an inflammation of the tendon
  • Tendon Rupture – A sudden tear in a tendon
  • Tenosynovitis – The inflammation of the protective sheath that surrounds a tendon
  • Tendinopathy – This is a condition where the tendon deteriorates gradually

Tendonitis & Tendonopathy Is The Result Of Premature Wear & Tear

You must take care to avoid complications. Prolonged and neglected tendinitis often leads to degenerative changes within a tendon. Our advice, seek professional care from our clinical teams as soon as possible. A degenerated tendon will lead to life-long conditions, predisposing you to lose muscle tone, frequent tears, and even surgery. Call one of our centers for the best tendonitis treatment in town.

Symptoms Of Tendonitis & Tendonopathy

tendonitis in shoulder, hips, and knees shown

Tendonitis can affect many parts of the body. Some of the most affected regions include shoulders, wrists, elbows, fingers, knees, and the back of the heels. Here are some of the common symptoms of tendonitis:

  • Pain that worsens when the affected area is moved
  • A lump on the tendon that is affected
  • Swelling in the affected area – sometimes with heat and redness
  • Stiffness that compounds in the morning
  • A crackling sensation when the involved muscle moves
  • Unable to move the affected joint at times

Difference between Tendonitis  & Tenosynovitis (de Quervain’s Tenosynovitis)

Tenonitis is inflation of tendons, and tenosynovitis is swelling and inflammation of the synovium sheaths surrounding tendons. The most common form or tenosynovitis is the De Quervains tenosynovitis. De Quervain causes thumb and wrist pain. It results from repetitive motions of the wrist and thumb joints. Other forms of tenosynovitis include trigger finger, trigger thumb, and some forms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Accurate diagnosis and precision in therapy are essential to complete recovery.

Like other forms of tendonitis, De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is mostly caused by repetitive actions requiring the use of the tendons mentioned above. Some common everyday examples of repetitive actions that can cause this condition include repetitive sporting movements, gardening, lifting groceries, or even young kids.

Noteworthy point: You can get tendonitis and tenosynovitis at the same time. And similarly, you can get one without the other. An accurate diagnosis from CSC’s tendonitis and tenosynovitis experts is essential in eliminating tendonitis and tenosynovitis pain. 

What Is De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis, a painful condition that also limits wrist function, develops when the tendons located at the side of the wrist, just below the bottom of the thumb, become inflamed. It is similar to tendonitis but yet different. The abductor pollicis longus and the extensor pollicis brevis, normally extending and attached to the joints in the thumb are the two main tendons affected by this condition. These tendons share a casing, through which they move smoothly to facilitate fluid thumb and wrist movements. However, when the tendons swell, for one reason or the other, they end up putting pressure on the casing, and nearby nerves, causing pain and limiting wrist and thumb function.

If you are suffering from this condition, you will likely experience pain around the affected area whenever you ball up your fist, hold any object, or even make a twisting motion with your wrist.

Some of the other main signs and symptoms of this condition include tenderness just below the bottom of the thumb, redness, and swelling, in some cases. Furthermore, if moving your thumb creates a sticking sensation, and you find it difficult to complete a pinching or grasp action involving the thumb, you might be suffering from De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis.

Tendon Tear & Inflamed Tendons

tendons of shoulder joint

A neglected condition can lead to a tendon tear. However, tendon tears can occur without ever having tendonitis. With a tendon tear or tendon rupture, people often feel sudden severe pain. This pain may settle fully or partially in time but can return time and again.

Chronic cases of a tendon tear may develop into a dull ache that continues for some time. It may be challenging to move the affected area when this happens. You should immediately stop the activity and rest the affected area when you experience tendon ruptures. Once the symptoms improve, you can return to doing your activities on a gradual basis. Applying a frozen bag of vegetables wrapped in a towel or an ice pack can help relieve the pain under such circumstances.

Tendonitis At The shoulder

Shoulders are the most common site of tendon issues and injury. It may include the supraspinatus muscle’s tendon, which attaches to the upper portion of the upper arm bone (humerus). Less commonly, it impacts the tendon of the infraspinatus muscle or tendons of the rotator cuff. Typically, the supraspinatus tendon injury results from overuse or occupation, which requires the arm to be elevated.

Tendonitis In The elbow

There are two forms of elbow tendonitis: medial epicondylitis and lateral epicondylitis. Both are overuse injuries that are common among athletes.

Tennis Elbow

Lateral epicondylitis or the tennis elbow causes pain on the outer elbow joint. This condition probably affects 40% to 50 percent of athletes who play racquet sports. Additionally, it can be caused by any activity that twists and flexes the wrist, such as with a screwdriver, pulling weeds, or those who frequently carry heavy objects.

Golfer’s Elbow

Medial epicondylitis, or the golfer’s elbow, leads to pain and the elbow’s inner or medial parts. It is a less common injury when compared to the lateral or tennis elbow. Swinging a golf club or throwing a baseball when it does occur as a sports injury can trigger medial epicondylitis. Most importantly, you don’t have to be a golfer to suffer from this. It can happen to office executives or factory workers who never played tennis or golf.

Jumper’s Knee

Tendonitis in the knee, known as the Jumper’s knee, impacts the kneecap’s tendinous attachments. It’s a common overuse injury, particularly in distance runners and basketball players.

Painful Wrist Due To Tendon Injury Or damage

Tendonitis at the wrist results from repetitive wrist and hand movements. It is also common during pregnancy.

Achilles Tendonitis Or Achilles Heel

Heel pain caused by Achilles tendonitis is due to Overuse, especially in sports that require repeated jumping or running. It accounts for 15% of all running injuries. Achilles tendonitis can be Associated with poorly fitting shoes or faulty running technique if the trunk of the shoe pushes into the Achilles tendon. Less often, tendonitis is related to an illness, like Ankylosing Spondylitis, gout, reactive arthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis.

How To Prevent Tendon Pain, Tendon Tear & Tendonitis?

If you are a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, here are some things you can do that prevents damage to tendons:

  • Warming up before a workout session and cooling down after the session
  • Use the correct equipment for the activity that you perform – such as wearing the right footwear at all times.
  • Get a coach so that you can perfect the technique in the type of activity you perform.
  • Don’t exert yourself beyond your physical capabilities
  • Take a break; if you have to perform repetitive movements for a longer time
  • It would help if you placed your desk and the computer in a comfortable position before you start work.
  • If you are involved in a job that has repetitive movements, ask the employer to provide appropriate rest periods. Also, specific devices to support your wrists can help improve posture.
  • Never overlook even minor tendon injury; visit one of our centers to start symptoms for the fastest recovery.

Read the research on Tendonitis and Chiropractic care, as published in the Candian Journal of Chiropractic Association.

How To Treat Tendonitis?

It would help if you treated even a minor tendon injury to prevent the worsening of your situation. Although mild tendon injuries can get better on their own, untreated tendon disorder will result in scar tissue or adhesions over time. This can be a significant reason for repeated injury on the same tendon over time. That is why you must seek medical assistance at the onset of tendon injuries. In our centers, the care you get is through the collaborative efforts of the best non-surgical teams of chiropractors and physiotherapists.

We have the skills, knowledge, and technology to treat your spine and joint disorders better than others effectively. We have succeeded when others fail. Our methods of treatment address the causes of your condition. Visit a Chiropractic Specialty Center today to discover advanced treatment options. We have helped thousands of patients reclaim their lives.

Let us help you now. Our expert team of chiropractors and clinical physiotherapists will diagnose and treat the condition by using holistic methods. If your case is severe or suspected of ruptures, our team will refer you to diagnostic testing such as an MRI or ultrasound scan to ascertain the severity of your tendonitis if needed. Contact one of our centers today for the best tendonitis care through holistic methods without injections or surgery.