Tendons are the thick, fibrous cords that connect your muscles to your bones. Albeit tendons are very strong and flexible, they are not designed to stretch easily. This limited flexibility makes them especially susceptible to degeneration and injury. If a tendon becomes irritated or overstretched, it can become inflamed, causing a condition referred to as tendonitis to develop.
Let’s learn more about tendonitis, particularly its different types, symptoms, risk factors, and treatment modalities, and find out where you can seek high-quality tendonitis treatment in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Types of Tendonitis
Your body has 4,000 tendons, and each of these tendons is a potential site for tendonitis. However, it most commonly affects the tendons around the wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, and heels.
Each type of tendonitis, as listed below, is creatively named according to the specific body part that it affects:
- Achilles tendonitis
- Wrist tendonitis (De Quervain’s tendonitis)
- Golfer’s elbow
- Jumper’s knee
- Pitcher’s shoulder
- Swimmer’s shoulder
- Tennis elbow
Symptoms of Tendonitis
When you sustain a tendonitis, you may experience most of the following symptoms:
- Pain and stiffness that tends to get worse with movement
- Tenderness
- Difficulty moving the joint
- Mild swelling, sometimes accompanied with redness and heat
- A cracking or grating sensation as the tendon moves
- Lump (sometimes felt on the affected tendon)
Risk Factors
There are various factors that can increase your risk of tendonitis. The following are the most common:
- Age- Tendons can degenerate and become less flexible over time, making them more vulnerable to injury.
- Sports (basketball, tennis, bowling, etc.) or occupations that involve repetitive motions, awkward positions, forceful exertion, or frequent overhead reaching
Tendonitis Treatment Modalities
The type of treatment your doctor will recommend usually hinges on several factors: the extent of your tendonitis, the cause, the severity of your symptoms, and your treatment goals.
Orthopedic specialists always start with conservative options, as listed below:
- Rest
- Cold and heat therapy
- Medicine such as painkillers and/or anti-inflammatories
- Compression
- Immobilization of the affected area
- Physical therapy
- Massage
- Stretching and exercise
When the above approaches fail to provide satisfactory relief, your orthopedic specialist may also recommend the following:
- Regenerative medicine- Platelet-rich (PRP) therapy and stem cell therapy have shown beneficial effects in people who sustained tendonitis. They accelerate healing and promote tissue regeneration.
- Surgery, An orthopedic specialist may recommend surgical repair of the tendon as a last resort, when a rupture has occurred or when non-surgical treatments fail to mitigate the symptoms.
Tendonitis Treatment in Palm Beach County, Florida
At Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches, our dynamic team includes board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons who offer high-quality surgical and nonsurgical care for a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, such as tendonitis. We will perform a comprehensive evaluation, and based on the results, will work with you to determine the right course of treatment.
To find out more about our orthopedic services or to arrange an appointment with one of our orthopedic surgeons, call our office today. You may also use our secure online appointment request form.
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. For advice about your condition, talk with your physician. Request an appointment with our team.
