Tendinitis
Tendinitis
14 Soothing Remedies
Like simple muscle soreness from overuse, tendinitis—inflammation in or around, a tendon—can be painful. But where simple muscle soreness is temporary, tendinitis is tenacious—it's soreness that doesn't quit.
In fact, if chronic tendinitis had a credo, it might go like this: "Here today, here tomorrow, here to stay."
But does it really have to be so bleak, or is there hope for what, after all, sounds like a rather minor problem?
Yes, there is hope, says Bob Mangine, chairman of the American Physical Therapy Association's Sports Physical Therapy Section. "But if you continue to use the tendon in the same repetitive motion that triggered the problem in the first place, it's going to be very difficult to get better." And that applies to everyone from world-class marathoners to window washers and typists.
Still, it's possible to lessen the effects of tendinitis and prevent intense flare-ups, says Mangine, who is also administrative director of rehabilitation at the Cincinnati Sports Medicine Clinic. The key, he says, is unlocking your mind and freeing yourself to change some of your old ways.
Give it a rest. "That's a hard thing to get people to do," says Mangine. But a runner with Achilles tendinitis, for example, can't realistically expect any improvement if he doesn't take at least a couple of days away from the one-two pounding.
Of course, resting is easier said than done if you make your living washing windows and have tendinitis of the shoulder from constantly raising your arms over your head. But if tendinitis is a side effect of your job, it might not be a bad idea to save a day or two of vacation for those times when tendinitis is painfully persistent.
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But don't give it too long a rest. "Muscles will start to atrophy," Mangine says. And for athletes, "we never recommend absolute rest," adds Ted Percy, M.D., an associate professor of orthopedic surgery and head of the Sports Medicine Section at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Health Sciences Center.
Switch instead of fight. If your tendinitis is exercise induced, a new exercise may be just what your inflamed tendon needs. Runners with tendon problems in the lower legs, for example, can stay on the road if you're willing to hop on a bicycle, which will still give you a good upper-leg workout.
Give it a whirl. Taking a whirlpool bath or just soaking in warm bathwater is a good way to raise body temperature and increase blood flow. Warming the tendon before stressful activity decreases the soreness associated with tendinitis, says Mangine.
Use the ballerina treatment. The New York Jets football team finds using this method (inspired by a ballet dancer who had tendinitis) successful. With tendinitis of the knee, for example, treatment involves placing a warm, moist towel over the knee, then a plastic bag, then a heating pad, and last, a loose elastic wrap just to hold everything in place. Keep it on from 2 to 6 hours. To avoid burning yourself, keep the heating pad on low, advises Bob Reese, head trainer for the Jets and president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. For maximum success, your injured body part should be kept at a level higher than your heart.
Warm with stretching. The above heat treatments are only the first part of the warm-up equation. You should always stretch before exercising at full speed, says Terry Malone, Ed.D., executive director of sports medicine at Duke University. Stretching prevents the shortening of muscles and tendons that goes along with exercise.
In addition, says Mangine, some studies suggest that people who are less flexible are more prone to develop tendinitis. So stretching should be a regular part of your routine.
Brace yourself. Even a little extra support and warmth from a flexible brace or wrap can help during exercise and afterward, Mangine says. "There is no truth to the old wives' tale that wearing a brace will weaken the tendons and muscles, provided," he stresses, "you continue exercising."
Deep-freeze the pain. After exercising, ice is great for holding down both swelling and pain, Mangine says. However, people with heart disease, diabetes, or vascular problems should be careful about using ice because ice constricts blood vessels and could cause serious difficulties in people with such problems.
Wrap it up. Another alternative for reducing swelling is to wrap your pain in an Ace bandage, says Dr. Percy. Just be careful not to wrap the inflamed area too tightly or to leave the area wrapped for so long that it becomes uncomfortable or interferes with circulation.
Elevate. Raising the affected area is also good for controlling swelling.
Walk bowlegged. Okay, maybe you don't have to go that far. But for Achilles tendinitis, wearing cowboy boots or high heels some of the time is a fine idea, according to Dr. Percy. "It lifts the heel off the ground," he says, "and the muscles and tendons don't have to work as hard."
Go over-the-counter. Aspirin and other nonprescription, nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs are effective temporary pain relievers for tendinitis, Dr. Percy says. They also reduce inflammation and swelling.
Strengthen. "When we say strengthen, we're not asking people to be an Arnold Schwarzenegger," Mangine says, "just to get better defined muscles by working out at home with light weights. You can even use pennies in a sock to work arm muscles." And that's a lot cheaper than a set of weights.
Take breaks. This is a simple way to at least temporarily relieve physical stress at work, says Scott Donkin, D.C., a chiropractor in Lincoln, Nebraska, and author of Sitting on the Job. "If you work in an awkward position," he says, "tendinitis can develop quite easily. Especially in the arms or wrists if you're working at a keyboard or typewriter all day.'
PANEL OF ADVISERS
Scott Donkin, D.C., is a partner in the Rohrs Chiropractic Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is also an industrial consultant, providing tips on exercise to reduce stress for workstation users, and author of Sitting on the Job.
Terry Malone, Ed.D., is executive director of sports medicine at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Bob Mangine is chairman of the American Physical Therapy Association's Sports Physical Therapy Section. He also is administrative director of rehabilitation at the Cincinnati Sports Medicine Clinic.
Ted Percy, M.D., is an associate professor of orthopedic surgery and head of the Sports Medicine Section at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson.
Bob Reese is head trainer of the New York Jets and president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society.