man experiencing elbow pain

Tendonitis (also known as tendinitis) is a common condition where tendons become inflamed, tear, or are just irritated. The condition can happen through a multitude of ways. Most commonly, tendonitis occurs through some sort of excessive use of your tendons. Many athletes and physically active people can become afflicted with this condition, often through one of the following:

  • Over-exertion – performing the same physical activity too much, such as excessive jogging or swinging a bat repeatedly
  • Over-loading – performing a physical activity far beyond your capabilities. Examples might include increasing weights while lifting by hundreds of pounds or running a marathon with little to no training.

If you are a very physical person, tendonitis can become a big problem. Tendons are crucial to the operation of movement for your body. They connect the skeletal structure to the musculature. This allows your body to move together freely. Without tendons, bones and muscles would simply be separate entities. Tendons allow the body to fluidly navigate through life.

Tendonitis can show up in a variety of ways. Symptoms of this condition can include:

  • Stiff movement
  • Joint tenderness
  • Joint weakness

back-leg-tendon

Types of Tendonitis

Tendonitis is also not relegated to one particular muscle. There are multiple forms of tendonitis which can show up in any joint that performs physical activity.

  • Tennis elbow – a form of tendonitis which indicates an irritation in the tendon connecting the elbow to the forearm muscle
  • Golfer’s elbow – inflammation of the tendons on the inside of the elbow
  • Patellar tendinitis – tendonitis that is inflaming the tendon connecting the kneecap with the shinbone
  • Tendinitis of wrist – inflammation of the tendons within the wrist
  • Achilles tendinitis – inflammation of the Achilles tendon, or the Achilles heel
  • Swimmer’s shoulder – when the tendon of the shoulder blade is subject to excessive contact with the bone
  • De Quervain’s tenosynovitis – inflammation of the tendons on the inside of the thumb

Recovery Time for Tendonitis

The severity of the inflammation affects the amount of time it takes to make a recovery. To ensure that you‘re able to return to your hobbies and activities as quickly as possible, it‘s vital to rehabilitate correctly. With incorrect methods, your tendonitis could keep you away from doing what you love much longer than necessary. That’s why it’s important to work with a physical therapist who knows what they’re doing and who can make sure that your progress proceeds at the correct pace.

Doctor aligning a man

Short Term Cures for Tendonitis

Short term alleviations are available to help ease the symptoms of tendonitis. Anyone afflicted with this condition can simply ice the area as soon as they get the injury. One can also take anti-inflammatory medication or utilize anti-inflammatory gels. Depending on the severity of it, this may fix the problem immediately.

Prolonged tendonitis can require a heavier cost. For instance, steroid shots may be necessary, as they can decrease pain almost immediately. If this doesn’t work, then dire measures may be needed. Surgery can be performed in extreme cases of tendonitis and is avoided until all other options are eliminated.

Before you resort to the drastic measures like the ones above, seriously consider all alternatives. The easiest and more surefire way to help clear up your tendonitis, while also helping to prevent further instances of it, would be to engage in physical therapy.

Our Process: How We Treat Tendonitis in Schertz

At Biomotion Physical Therapy, we encounter tendonitis cases on an almost daily basis and have loads of experience when it comes to helping our patients. We’ll work with you and help you improve your joint health so that your joints are better off than they were before therapy. Moreover, in addition to helping you relieve your pain and discomfort, we’ll show you how you can prevent your chances of tendonitis reoccurring.

1. Physical Therapy

First, we’ll will work with you on targeted exercises to help repair the damage caused by your condition, while being attentive to your limits in order to ensure safe progress.

2. Monitor Progress

We will also monitor your progress closely. By making sure you stay away from any unnecessary movement, you will progress all the more quickly.

3. Return to normal

Our mission as a practice is to empower our patients in their rehabilitation journey. That why we’ll continue to work with you until you recover well and return to all the activities that you enjoy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Physical therapy can provide treatment for tendonitis by reducing inflammation, improving range of motion, increasing strength, and reducing pain. Manual therapies, therapeutic exercises, stretches, and strengthening exercises can help to improve tendon health, reduce inflammation, improve range of motion, and increase strength.

The duration of your treatment will depend on the severity of your injury. However, most of our patients begin to experience pain relief and improvement from treatment within 3-4 weeks.

Rest, ice, and/or heat (as recommended by your physical therapist) to the affected area is important. Additionally, stretching exercises, gentle strengthening exercises, and changing or limiting activities as needed can help with the healing process. We can provide specific instructions based on your specific condition during your appointment.

We accept most major insurance plans including Tricare Insurance for Military Members. Check out our Insurance page for more information.