Tendonitis
What is Tendonitis?
Tendonitis (or tendinitis) is an injury that occurs when the tendon attaching a muscle to bone becomes inflamed or irritated. As the tendon is responsible for movement between muscles, joints and bone, they become prone to high amounts of stress and pressure during sports and physical activities.
Tendonitis mainly occurs in three different areas:
- Where the tendon meets the muscle (musculotendinous junction)
- Middle tendon (non-insertional tendinopathy)
- Tendon insertion
Our braces will help you to take pressure off your tendons and to find the right one for you use our Brace Advisor. Our braces have fast delivery and a 30 day money back guarantee.
Causes of tendonitis
The most common cause for tendonitis is repetitive activities that are conducted over long periods of time such as running and jumping. These kind of activities can cause excessing stress and trauma to lower parts of the body such as the Achilles tendon which connects the heel bone to the calf.
Other activities that distribute pressure and weight unevenly throughout the body can also result in tendonitis in other parts of the upper body; activities such as golf or tennis can produce mild forms of tendonitis in the elbows over time.
In addition to these activities, tendonitis will also develop from:
- Aging
- Injury: over time weakening the tendon without increase in supporting muscles
- Diseases such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis
Symptoms of tendonitis
- Redness or tenderness of the tendon
- Swelling
- Inflammation or irritation
- Movement of the tendon causes slight pain in the joint and general area
- Touching the affected area causes pain
- Tightness
Common treatments for Tendonitis
It is recommended you see your local doctor or physiotherapist to identify the severity of your injury. Mild forms of tendonitis can be treated with simple a “RICE” method:
- Rest the affected area as much as possible, allowing it to fully recover
- Ice irritated areas to reduce swelling and inflammation
- Compress the muscles and tendon to encourage muscle recovery and blood flow
- Elevation also helps relieve swelling and inflammation
Furthermore:
- Anti-inflammatory and pain medications
- Stretching and exercises to encourage strength and mobility in the muscle and joints
Tendonitis is a common injury for people of all ages and can be prevented if the right precautions are taken. The right support or brace will help take some of the stress from your tendons which will help you heal or continue the activity with lesser pain. Whether you have an ankle or elbow injury use our Brace Advisor to find the perfect support for you.
