What is tendonitis?
We all heard of terms like rotator cuff tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, etc. But what exactly are these common physiotherapy issues? As well as what exactly are the cause of these issues that leads us to seek physiotherapy treatment? To answer these questions, we must first understand the condition known as tendonitis.
What exactly is a tendon and what does it do?
Tendons are connective tissues in our body that connects muscles to bones. They basically transfer force produced by our muscles and exert them to a piece of bone in order to get a joint turning. These are important aspect for daily movement, and we experience a lack of daily function without them in place. Muscle tendons are therefore found throughout the body, from the muscles in our jaws to the muscles in our toes. Daily task such as chewing, eating, lifting, bending or walking very much so utilize muscle tendons.
What causes tendonitis
The term tendonitis basically indicates inflammation of the muscle tendon, and inflammation is our body’s natural response to the an injured area. Unfortunately, our tendons are subjected to physical injuries and there are a few ways tendons becomes inflamed.
- Acute strains
- Direct contusion injuries
- Repetitive strains/overuse
Acute strains are cases where you might have wrenched or pulled the tendon and muscle in a highly stressful manner leading to its injury. This can be from a fall, lifting something heavy or pushing/pulling something forcefully. There is usually a direct incident related to acute strains causing tendonitis.
Direct contusion injuries are similar to acute strains, and even more obvious in its cause. Any time there is direct hard impact from your tendon towards any outside source. Falling over onto an object, crush injuries, impact through contact sports are a few ways.
Repetitive strains leading to tendonitis are often hard to recognize. This is because the tendon itself sustains stress over a period of time, and we often don’t recognize the stress until it turns into pain. This type of tendonitis are mild to begin with but can get into an acute pain stage where sensation becomes sharp and unbearable.
Given all these circumstances of tendonitis, it is best to seek out medical expertises at first notice on any sign of tightness or pain. These conditions can be identified early with physiotherapy assessment and be addressed well with early physiotherapy treatment.
