Tendonitis
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What is Tendonitis?
An inflammation in or around a tendon, a band of fibrous tissue that connects a muscle to a bone and transmits the force the muscle exerts.
Causes
Tendons can become inflamed when overstressed from any activity.
The most common cause is repetitive stress -- using the same joints for the same stressful movements again and again.
Symptoms
Pain or tenderness at or near a joint, especially around a shoulder, wrist or heel (where it is known as Achilles tendinitis), or on the outside of an elbow (where it is called tennis elbow).
In some cases, numbness or tingling.
Stiffness that, along with the pain, restricts the movement of the joint involved.
Occasionally, mild swelling at the joint.
Persistence of the soreness, which may last or recur long after the tendon has had time to recover from the original injury.
In chronic cases you may get locking of the joint in one position due to scarring or narrowing of the sheath of tissue that surrounds the tendon.
Treatment
The RICE program: rest, ice, compression and elevation.
You can also use ibuprofen (Advil) sparingly to relieve pain while you are resting the affected muscles, but not while you are using them.
Full-blown tendonitis may require physical therapy.
Call Your Doctor If...
- Your pain does not ease in 7 to 10 days. You want to avoid letting chronic tendinitis set in; moreover, you may have another problem such as bursitis (inflammation of the fluid "cushion" surrounding the joints), carpal tunnel syndrome (an entrapped nerve in the hands) or phlebitis (inflamed veins).
- Your pain is extremely severe and accompanied by swelling.  You may have a ruptured tendon, which requires immediate medical attention.
Prevention
Include warm up and cool down exercises and stretches in your exercise routine.  Vary your exercises.
Do not shake your wrists as a warm up for activities such as color guard.
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