What you should know about tendinitis

Tendinitis is inflammation or irritation of a tendon, one of the thick fibrous cords that attaches muscle to bone. Normally, whenever muscles move, tendons move easily but when a tendon becomes inflamed, every twist and turn adds to the irritation.

As we age, tendons start to fray and lose their elasticity, making you more susceptible to tendinitis when you repeat motions continuously, as you do when you're playing tennis, planting bulbs, swimming, pitching a baseball, playing golf, or painting your house. Other causes of tendinitis include:

• Injury. It can also happen after a sudden injury.
• Health. Having a condition such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, gout, or thyroid disorder can make you more susceptible.
• Poor posture. Sometimes, even poor posture or overstretching can strain tendons.
• Over-exercise. In a common scenario, a new, eager exerciser starts a workout without warming up or goes overboard fast. The tendons can't take the sudden overuse, and, kapow, you've got pain.

Ever hear of tennis elbow? It's a form of tendinitis, the irritation and inflammation of a tendon, the stout tissue that attaches muscle to bone. The condition can occur in any tendon but most commonly:

• Shoulder – rotator cuff tendinitis
• Wrist – extensor tendinitis
• Heel –  Achilles tendinitis
• Kneecap –  patellar tendinitis
• Elbow – tennis elbow
• Finger – trigger finger, in which a finger can become stuck in a bent position

Regardless of how you get tendinitis, you'll hurt. The area will be tender and swollen. If the condition grows severe or is ignored, you may tear or rupture a tendon.

• Your doctor can check for tendinitis by having you perform certain movements and determining where it hurts.
• Your doctor may take X-rays or do an MRI or a CT scan to rule out a tear and to view any changes to the tendon.
• Rest, moist heat, gentle stretching, and the use of an anti-inflammatory are the mainstay of care for this condition.
• Most of the time, tendinitis will heal with rest and anti-inflammatories.