An overview of the symptoms of tendinitis in ...

Updated 23 Mai 2014th

Written and reviewed by a Board Certified physician. See the Medical Review Board About.com.

What are tendons?

A chord is fixed a flexible fiber cable that connects muscle to bone. Tendons are those of the bands. While tendons connect muscles to bones, ligaments connect bones together at the joints. Tendons are capable of large loads, such as a steel cable. Both ligaments and tendons are as soft tissue.

What is tendinitis?

Tendinitis, tendonitis is sometimes spelled inflammation of one or more tendons.

What can cause tendonitis?

Tendinitis can be caused by an injury, but more often it is caused by repeated minor injuries in the affected area. Under certain conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, thyroid disease or diabetes Tendinitis can occur without trauma.

Who can develop tendinitis?

People whose jobs require repetitive movements are more likely to develop tendinitis. Examples are people who are gardeners, carpenters, athletes, or typists are. People with poor posture or poor body mechanics may be an increased risk of developing tendinitis, also.

Tendinitis is most common in adults, especially at the age of 40 or more (tendons lose elasticity with age), but can develop at any tendinitis.

What are the symptoms of tendonitis?

Tendinitis causes pain and tenderness in the area just outside a joint. It may also be a loss of mobility in the joint close to the affected tendon. In most cases, shoulder, elbow, wrist, thumb, hip, knee and ankle joints are affected.

How is tendonitis diagnosed?

Most forms of tendonitis can be later diagnosed medical history and physical examination. Your doctor can perform special maneuvers using physical examination to determine which tendon is involved.

The test injection of anesthetic may be useful to confirm a diagnosis of tendinitis. A small amount of an anesthetic, such as lidocaine is injected into the affected area. If immediate relief of pain, which can confirm the diagnosis of tendinitis. MRI or ultrasound may also be used to search tendonitis and tears.

What is tendinitis?

The goal of treatment is to treat the inflammation. Rest, compression, elevation, and anti-inflammatory drugs are part of the initial treatment. Ultrasound, massage, gentle stretching and strengthening exercises, the use of protective equipment such as braces or splints can be used all the time. A steroid injection into the affected area is sometimes as if all else fails. A partially or completely torn tendon may require surgery.

_Sources:

_{Questions and answers about bursitis and tendinitis. NIAMS. Of April 2007.
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bursitis/default.asp}

_{Tendinitis. American College of Rheumatology. August, 2009.
http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/diseases_and_conditions/tendonitis.asp}