Tendinitis: causes, symptoms and treatment

Sometimes these tissues support too much mechanical stress, which can trigger inflammation. In this article we will see what are the causes, symptoms and treatment of cases in which tendinitis appears.

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What is tendinitis?

The movement of our body is due to the muscles, but also to other structures of the musculoskeletal system. Tendons are the part that connects muscles and bones . It is a very particular type of fabric that supports a lot of traction force.

Sometimes the resistance capacity of the tendons is exceeded when they have to withstand extreme stresses. If a tendon is exposed to excessive stress it can develop into tendinitis. In this article we will see what are the causes, symptoms and treatment in these cases.

In any case, tendinitis must be differentiated from other terms such as tendinosis or tendinopathy. In tendonitis, it is through the inflammation itself that the body tries to make the tissues begin their self-repair process.

However, when the overload of the tendon is greater than its capacity for self-repair, tendinopathy is suffered. By tendinosis is meant a degenerative process of the tendon.

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Causes

The most common is that tendinitis is generated due to performing an action repeatedly . The function of the tendons is to allow movement and they are designed to do it many times without having to have problems.

However, if the same movements are often performed with a certain pulling force and/or performed incorrectly, it is likely that tendinitis can develop.

Tendinitis can also appear in cases where there is an injury, a marked aging of the tissues or some diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or even diabetes.

But the most common is that tendinitis appears in those people who put their tendons under stress. An example is people whose job involves constant and repetitive effort, such as lifting a butane canister to the shoulder.

More examples would be athletes such as runners, swimmers, tennis players, golfers, bowlers, or basketball players. These people perform very repetitive actions and movement sequences, just like musicians such as violinists, pianists or flutists.

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Symptoms

Tendon inflammation is characterized by having much more sensitive tissue . The pain is intense, and is concentrated in the area where the tendon attaches to the bone.

It is normal that the pain can be extended and that we seem to suffer muscle or joint pain. This happens especially when the affected area is moved.

In this way, it is common for mobility to be reduced by pain and inflammation itself. It is common for the area to be warm due to swelling, and it may also be red.

The structures are very sensitive to new stress situations, so performing the same pulling movements that caused the injury causes pain. Local pressure in the affected area, that is, squeezing these tissues with the fingers, is also a source of pain.

Cracking noises can also sometimes be observed when moving the joint, and certain bulges can appear along the tendon.

There are many areas that can be affected by tendinitis, the following cases being representative examples:

• Shoulder: Supraspinatus or subscapularis tendinitis
• Codo: Tennis or golfer’s codo
• Arm: Biceps Tendonitis
• Wrists: De Quervain’s Tendinitis
• Knee: Patellar tendonitis (jumper’s knee)
• Heel: Achilles tendonitis
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Treatment

The treatment to cure a tendinitis cannot normally be of short duration . Tendinitis is a protracted process in part because the blood supply is inherently poor and tissue regeneration is slow.

Since the ailment is usually caused by overloading, it is sometimes difficult to eliminate and alleviate due to the fact that we need to use these structures (for example, the Achilles tendon to walk).

It is recommended to rest the affected body part as much as possible, wearing a brace that prevents movement for most of the day if possible.

Anti-inflammatory drugs by themselves do not cure the ailment, although they can relieve us. They should not be abused because they make those who take them tend to perceive that the tendon is more recovered than it really is. In addition, it is not necessary to completely eliminate inflammation, since it participates in the process of tissue regeneration.

On the other hand, physical therapy is the one that is revealed as the most successful when it comes to recovering functionality. Physiotherapists and osteopaths are professionals specialized in rehabilitation processes. They know the most effective manual therapies and have devices such as ultrasound, which work to speed up recovery.

Once the acute pain phase has been overcome, the tissue needs its own specific stimulus, i.e. the right training to significantly accelerate regeneration.

Healing time can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on the severity, which varies from person to person. If the disease becomes chronic, tendinopathy may develop.

Finally, it is important to keep in mind that steroid injections in some cases relieve symptoms quickly, but do not heal in the long term.

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Bibliographic references

• Khan, K.M., Cook, J.L., Kannus, P., Maffulli, N., Bonar, S.F. (2002). Time to abandon the “tendinitis” myth : Painful, overuse tendon conditions have a non-inflammatory pathology. BMJ. 324 (7338), 626–627.
• Rees, J. D., Stride, M. y Scott, A. (2013). Tendons – time to revisit inflammation”. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 48 (21): 1553–1557.
• Stephenson, A.L., Wu, W., Cortes, D. y Rochon, P.A. (2013). Tendon Injury and Fluoroquinolone Use: A Systematic Review”. Drug Safety. 36 (9): 709–712.