Tendonitis

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is when a tendon swells (becomes inflamed) after an injury. It can cause joint pain and stiffness, and affect how a tendon moves. You can treat a mild tendon injury yourself and it should feel better within 2 to 3 weeks.

Symptoms of tendonitis

There are tendons all over your body. They connect your muscles to bones in your joints, for example, in your knees, elbows, and shoulders.

The main symptoms of tendonitis are:

• pain in a tendon that gets worse when you move
• difficulty moving the joint
• feeling a grating or crackling sensation when you move the tendon
• swelling, sometimes with heat or redness

If the pain is sudden and severe and happened during an accident or activity, you may have torn (ruptured) a tendon. You might have heard a popping or snapping sound when the pain started.

How to treat tendonitis yourself

Follow these steps for 2 to 3 days to help manage pain and support the tendon.

• Rest: try to avoid moving the tendon for 2 to 3 days.
• Ice: put an ice pack (or try a bag of frozen peas) wrapped in a tea towel on the tendon for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours.
• Support: wrap an elastic bandage around the area, use a tube bandage, or use a soft brace. You can buy these from pharmacies. It should be snug, not tight.
• Use the recommended Joint Pain Products for this treatment.

It's important to take a bandage or brace off before going to bed.

When you're able to move the injured area without pain stopping you, try to keep moving it so the joint does not become stiff.

To help prevent further injury or pain, try to avoid:

• heavy lifting, strong gripping or twisting actions that make the symptoms worse
• playing any sport until the tendon has recovered

Treatment for tendonitis

• If you need treatment for tendonitis a GP may prescribe a stronger painkiller or suggest you use an ibuprofen gel on your skin to ease the pain.
• If the pain is severe, lasts a long time, or your movement is limited, you may be referred for physiotherapy. You can also see a physiotherapist privately.
• If physiotherapy does not help, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in muscles and bones (orthopedic specialist) or a local musculoskeletal clinic.

Some people with severe tendonitis may be offered:

• steroid injections, which may provide short-term pain relief
• surgery to remove damaged tissue or repair a ruptured tendon