Hand And Arm Exercises Will Help To Prevent A Recurrence Of Tendonitis

If you strengthen your muscles, your tendons won’t have to do as much work, and this is useful in preventing a recurrence of tendonitis.

Yoga, because it involves stretching, and helps with stress, is also very useful in managing tendonitis. People with chronic hand and arm tendonitis find that stress is a factor in tendonitis recurrence, so relaxation exercises, and yoga, can be of immense benefit for tendonitis sufferers. Unfortunately, there’s no cure for tendonitis as such.

However, you can learn to manage tendonitis, especially if you do daily exercises. Exercising and stress management can keep your tendonitis at bay for years.

Hand Tendonitis: coping with painful hands

May 7th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

If you hands hurt at the computer keyboard, pay attention. You could be suffering from RSI (repetitive strain injury). It may be carpel tunnel syndrome, or it may be hand tendonitis, a completely different, but no less painful, condition.

Hand tendonitis is like any other type of tendonitis, and is a condition caused by the inflammation of the tendons in the wrist and hands. This inflammation causes swelling, particularly of the wrist, and pain in the hand and wrist. Often hand tendonitis affects one particular tendon, but it can spread throughout the hand.

This irritation occurs usually around the wrist joint, where the tendons are housed in sheaths. When they are irritated, this sheath thickens, and the tendons cannot glide in their normal range of motion, making moving the hand painful. Hand tendonitis can affect that ability to do just about any activity that requires the use of the hands. It is common to see swelling in the effected area when a patient has hand tendonitis.

How Is The Condition Diagnosed?

A hand tendonitis diagnosis must be made by a physician. Often, general practitioners are not able to accurately diagnose the condition. Sometimes a hand specialist is needed to isolate the affected area, particularly if the problem has become severe, because the pain spreads throughout the hand. Most of the time, doctors will perform stretches of the affected hand to try to locate the exact spot that is affected.

How Is It Treated?

Treating hand tendonitis can be tricky. Not ever person responds to the same treatment, but there is a common route of treatment that doctors usually choose to take. The first step is to immobilize the affected area. This is done through wearing a hand brace. The purpose of this immobilization is to allow the inflammation to come down. This is particularly vital for hand tendonitis caused by overuse. During the time of immobilization, the area is usually iced several times a day. This also helps cut back on the inflammation.

Doctors will usually prescribe anti inflammatory medications, such as naproxen, to help with the pain and inflammation associated with hand tendonitis. If these steps do not take care of the problem, some doctors will inject cortisone directly into the tendon. This is a painful procedure, but it does help cut down on the inflammation. Surgery is considered a last resort for treating hand tendonitis.

How to care for Achilles tendonitis

March 16th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

From a news release:

You don’t have to be an accomplished athlete to suffer Achilles tendon injuries. They can occur from performing minor household tasks, such as climbing a ladder. The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) said today that Achilles tendon weakness is common in adults and prompt treatment when symptoms occur can prevent more serious injury.

“The Achilles tendon is the longest and strongest tendon in the body, but is subjected to considerable wear and tear,” said Gerald Travers, DPM, FACFAS, a foot and ankle surgeon in Colorado Springs. “When the tendon becomes inflamed from overuse or too much sudden stress, tendonitis can weaken it over time and cause microscopic tears,” said Travers. “Going without treatment increases risk for further deterioration and possible rupture.”

According to the ACFAS consumer website, FootPhysicians.com, pain, stiffness and tenderness in the area are the main symptoms of Achilles tendonitis. Pain occurs in the morning, improves with motion, but gets worse with increasing stress and activity.

“In addition to athletes, Achilles tendonitis is common for anyone whose work routine puts constant stress on the feet and ankles,” said Travers. “Achilles tendon injuries happen most often to less conditioned, ‘weekend warrior’ athletes who overdo it. But I’ve also had patients who have ruptured the tendon simply by climbing a ladder quickly.”

When pain and other symptoms indicate possible Achilles tendonitis, Travers said a foot and ankle surgeon will make a thorough diagnosis to determine the extent of the trauma and evaluate the flexibility and range of motion in the tendon. Treatment options depend on the extent of the injury, and include:

– Casting to immobilize the Achilles tendon and promote healing
– Ice to reduce swelling
– Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication to reduce pain and
inflammation
– Physical therapy to strengthen the tendon
– Surgery, if other approaches fail to restore the tendon to its normal
condition.