Tendons are tough, flexible tissue that connects muscles to bones. When too much stress causes one or more tendons to become inflamed, a painful condition known as tendonitis can occur. It can limit your range of motion and keep you from the activities you enjoy.
Tendonitis, also known as tendinitis, can affect any of the 4,000 tendons on your body. However, your wrist, shoulder, elbow, knee, and ankle tendons are among the most vulnerable to inflammation. It is usually caused by stress or injury to muscle groups or joints due to repeated reaching, jumping, lifting, or pushing.
How to Prevent Tendonitis
Here are some measures you can take to keep your tendons healthy and flexible.
Don’t Forget to Warm Up and Cool Down
Athletes are vulnerable to tendonitis given the repetitive strain of some sports on particular muscles. For instance, biceps tendonitis, a condition where the biceps tendon gets inflamed, commonly occurs in sports that feature repeated overhead motions like swimming, tennis, and baseball.
To reduce the risk of tendonitis and other sports injuries, make sure to warm up for 5 to 10 minutes to get your heart rate up and prepare all your muscle groups for work. Start slowly, pace yourself, and gradually increase the intensity level as you go. After playing sports or exercising, make it a point to stretch to loosen tight tissues, minimizing the trauma and your risk of injury.
Before trying out new exercises, it’s also useful to prepare and strengthen the muscle group you will use ahead of time. This helps your body withstand the load and stress better.
Listen to Your Body
If you feel any discomfort during a specific exercise or activity, take a break and don’t work through the pain. It’s your body’s way of telling you to stop, and doing so can prevent additional damage to your tendons. You can apply a cold compress on the affected area to reduce inflammation.
Change up your routine if an exercise is causing you pain. You can also try mixing it up to include a mix of impact-loading and lower impact exercises.
Improve Your Technique and Form
In some cases, tendonitis can develop because of improper technique. It can overload the tendons, especially for sports that involve repetitive motions. If you’re starting a new sport, consider consulting with a coach for professional instruction or take beginner classes. To support proper technique and form, make sure you are wearing clothes and shoes as well as using equipment suitable for your activity. For instance, if you’re new to weightlifting, you need to know the proper techniques before trying out the weights. Likewise, you can use padding, gloves, grip tape, and other protective equipment to cushion your joints.
Improve Workplace Ergonomics
Although manual laborers like carpenters and construction workers are vulnerable to tendonitis, office workers can also develop the condition. If you’re working on your desk for a prolonged period, you might not notice the strain you’re putting on your shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
Having good proper posture distributes your weight evenly across your muscle groups, thus avoiding unnecessary tension and stress on your tendons, muscles, and joints. Remember to sit with your back and shoulders straight. Rest your elbows and arms on your desk or armrests to keep your shoulders relaxed.
Put objects like your phone or important papers close by so that you don’t have to reach out constantly. If the distance is too far, stand up to retrieve an item instead of reaching out while you’re sitting.
Your monitor should be at arm’s length while the chair’s height should be adjusted so that the knees and hips are on the same level. You should also take frequent breaks and avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes.
Tendonitis Treatment in San Antonio, TX
If you sustained a tendon injury or suffer any persistent joint pain, visit the experts at the Center for Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine for a comprehensive health check-up. Our specialists can diagnose and treat a wide range of orthopedic conditions, including tendonitis.
We usually recommend RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) therapy to relieve your pain for mild cases. If your symptoms don’t improve after two to three weeks, our doctors can recommend over-the-counter pain medications, steroid injections, and physical therapy. For major tendon tears, we offer minimally invasive surgical procedures to repair the damage.
If you want to schedule an appointment, call us at (210) 692-7400 today or fill out our online appointment request form. We look forward to getting you back to the life you enjoy.
