What is Tendonitis?

Tendonitis is a type of overuse injury; the tendon is repeatedly strained until tiny tears occur. Common sites that are prone to tendonitis include wrist, shoulder, knee and heel. Tendons are bands of strong connective tissues that attach muscle to bone and tendonitis is the inflammation of a tendon. One may experience pain, swelling, stiffness, restricted mobility at the affected joint, muscle weakness and the skin over the affected area may feel warm to touch.

Tendonitis can be caused by the following:

• Running on hard surfaces
• Lifting heavy weights without warming up
• Awkward positions that are maintained for a long time
• Being overweight, which puts extra pressure on the tendons of the legs
• Bone spurs on the heels
• Overuse of the tendons by repetitive actions
• Extreme and intense sports
• Poor body mechanics or techniques when doing a certain activity

You can manage mild cases of tendonitis by:

• Stopping whatever activity triggered the pain
• Regularly apply ice packs to the affected area to help reduce swelling and pain
• Rest the area

Contact your doctor if your painful symptoms persist despite resting the affected area and using treatment at home!