Tendinitis: symptoms, causes and treatment

Definition of tendinitis

What is tendinitis?

The definition of tendinitis is inflammation that occurs in the tendons, namely the fibrous tissue that connects muscle tissue to bone. This condition can attack tendons in any part of the body.

When experiencing tendinitis, usually the affected area will experience irritation, swelling, pain, and discomfort. Generally, tendinitis occurs around the shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and heels.

Here are some of the names of tendinitis that you need to know:

• Tennis elbow
• Golfer's elbow
• Pitcher's shoulder
• Swimmer's shoulder
• Jumper's knee

Usually, tendinitis is a condition that can be resolved only with adequate rest, undergoing physical therapy, and the use of drugs that work to relieve pain.

However, if your tendinitis is severe and can cause the tendon to tear and rupture, the patient may be advised to undergo a surgical procedure.

How common is tendinitis?

Tendinitis is a condition that can be experienced by anyone. However, this disease usually occurs in adults, especially those over 40 years of age. You can be more resistant to this disease by reducing the risk factors. Consult a doctor for more information.

Signs & symptoms of tendinitis

Just like other musculoskeletal disorders, tendinitis also has several symptoms to watch out for. Symptoms of this condition include pain such as muscle aches and discomfort.

Usually, joints that have tendinitis will be more sensitive and become difficult to move. Areas of the body that are inflamed may become red, swollen, and feel hot.

In addition, you may experience muscle stiffness in the morning for a while. In fact, in more severe cases, joint movement may begin to be limited.

The following are symptoms of tendinitis based on their location:

• Rotator cuff tendonitis: characterized by pain in the shoulder area that radiates down the upper arm to the chest and is more painful at night.
• Tennis elbow: pain starting on the outside of the elbow, usually extending down the forearm to the wrist.
• Golfer's elbow: pain that is felt on the inside of the elbow.
• Jumper's knee: pain usually felt in the bottom or top of the knee.
• Achilles tendonitis: pain in the back of the heel or 2-4 inches above the heel.

Some of the other symptoms or signs may not be listed above. If you feel anxious about these symptoms, consult your doctor immediately.

When to see a doctor?

Most cases of tendonitis can be treated at home. If the signs and symptoms are affecting your day-to-day, or they don't go away, go to the doctor right away.

Causes of tendinitis

The cause of tendinitis is usually repetitive movements performed during daily activities. Most people experience this disorder of the human movement system, because they have a hobby that involves repetitive movements, so that the tendons experience stress.

Therefore, you need to always carry out various daily activities, especially those that require repetitive movements, with correct and precise techniques.

This is of course important in order to minimize tendon inflammation. The reason is, the wrong movement technique can make the tendon tire easily. These habits will certainly increase the potential for tendinitis.

Other causes of tendinitis are wear and tear, injury, and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. Tendinitis most commonly affects the shoulder, but it can also affect tendons or joints in other parts of the body.

Tendinitis risk factors

There are several factors that can increase your risk of developing tendinitis, including:

1. Age

With age, the tendons in the body do not have the flexibility they used to be. Therefore, the tendon becomes more prone to injury.

2. Certain activities

Tendinitis also tends to be experienced by people who do certain activities every day, for example:

• Gardening.
• Paint.
• Scrub something.
• Perform repetitive movements.
• Doing activities with an uncomfortable body position.
• Constantly trying to achieve something.

3. Sports

In addition, certain sports activities also have the potential to increase the risk of developing tendinitis, for example:

• Playing basketball.
• Bowling.
• Playing golf.
• Run.
• Swimming.
• Play tennis.

Even so, it doesn't mean that if you don't have the risk factors that have been mentioned, you can't get tendinitis. Immediately consult a doctor for more details.

Diagnosis & treatment of tendinitis

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

According to Harvard Medical School's Harvard Health Publishing, to diagnose tendinitis, doctors will usually ask questions about the pain you are feeling.

In addition, your doctor may order a physical exam. While undergoing these tests, your doctor will check for swelling, redness, muscle weakness, and restricted movement around the tendon that is painful or painful.

You may also be asked to do some movements, such as raising your hands above your head, pressing on your wrists, and so on.

While doing this movement, you may still feel some pain or pain, but it is very helpful to know which tendon is sore. Although, usually, this condition can be answered when the doctor asks various questions for you.

Meanwhile, some people even need blood tests to look for inflammation around the joints, such as gout or rheumatoid arthritis. X-rays may be done to confirm the absence of a fracture, shift, or other bone disease.

What are the treatment options for tendinitis?

Usually, treatment for tendonitis is determined based on several things, including:

• Your age, medical history, and overall health.
• Your tolerance for the use of certain drugs, medical procedures, and health therapies.
• Specific organs affected.
• Your choice as a patient.

There are several types of treatment to choose from, including:

1. Use of drugs

To treat tendinitis, the type of medication that is often used is a pain reliever, such as aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen, which can help reduce discomfort.

There are also topical medications in the form of anti-inflammatory creams that can be used to treat tendinitis. In fact, this drug has less side effects than oral pain relievers.

Then, there are also corticosteroids that doctors usually give by injecting around the tendons to treat tendinitis. These drugs can reduce inflammation as well as relieve pain.

However, corticosteroids are not recommended for tendinitis that won't heal and has been attacking the tendon for more than three months.

2. Physical therapy

Apart from using drugs, you can also follow the physical therapy recommended by your doctor. This activity can be done based on the needs of the body, so the physical exercises that are given are generally programmed specifically for you.

You may be asked to do stretches to deal with sore muscles and tendons. Stretching is proven to be one of the alternative treatments that can effectively treat chronic tendon problems. In fact, stretching is often the first choice of treatment for tendinitis.

3. Operating procedures

In certain situations, physical therapy and drug use are found to be insufficient to treat tendinitis. In fact, these treatments may not relieve symptoms at all.

Therefore, there are times when you have to undergo surgery to treat the condition you are experiencing. The type of surgery performed is also determined based on the severity of the tendinitis.

Home remedies for tendinitis

What are some lifestyle changes or home remedies that can be used to treat tendinitis?

The following lifestyle and home remedies may help treat tendonitis:

• Stop activities that cause the tendon to become inflamed.
• Rest the affected area.
• Use medication as directed.
• Get some exercise.
• Contact your doctor if you experience side effects of the drug.
• Tell your doctor if medication does not reduce pain.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor to better understand the best solution for you.
If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.

Prevention of tendinitis

There are several conditions that can be done to prevent tendinitis:

• Avoid sleeping, sitting, or standing, in the same position over and over again. Try to change positions for at least every 30 minutes.
• Get used to stretching your body. This is certainly better if it can be carried out regularly.
• Find out how to practice good posture during your activities, and avoid bad postures.
• Position your body right in front of the object or object you want to lift. Pick up the object by extending your arms and hands directly to it. Avoid picking up heavy objects with your arms from a sideways position.
• Avoid lifting heavy objects with only one hand. In addition, avoid lifting heavy objects on only one side of your body.
• Hold it tightly when you want to pick up the item, don't squeeze it too tightly.
• Avoid sitting cross-legged with your feet on top of each other.
• Stop any activity if you start feeling pain.
• If you already know that you are going to do tough work, then train your muscles to be stronger and ready for strenuous activity.

In addition, when you want to exercise, don't forget to always warm up. Do not forget to always wear clothes, shoes and good sports equipment. You are also not advised to do sports that are too extreme. Better to start with light exercise first.

Complications of tendinitis

If you have tendinitis and don't treat it right away, complications are possible. This condition can increase your risk of developing tendon damage, which will worsen tendinitis. This usually entails having tendon surgery.

Also, if the tendon irritation doesn't get better after a few weeks or months, you may have tendinosis. This condition is a degenerative problem of the tendons accompanied by abnormal growth of blood vessels.