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The Right Tendonitis Treatment for you

May 18th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

If you have tendonitis, you know that this injury can be disabling. However, it is treatable, and you can find the right treatment for you.

Like arthritis, tendonitis can cause joint swelling and inflammation in the affected area and can prevent the normal use of that part of the body, whether it is the wrist, knee or other area. Finding the right tendonitis treatment if of the utmost importance when learning to live with or overcome this chronic condition. There are many causes of tendonitis; overexertion, injury, sports-related condition or aging. Yet, there are successful treatments and therapies that can be employed with good results.

Tendonitis Treatments: Alternative Vs. Conventional

Often, when people begin to notice that their joints may be tender, red or swelling, they immediately call their doctors to schedule an appointment. Others put it off a bit longer, thinking that the condition will remedy itself with time. Still other people like to try alternative therapies and home remedies instead of making a trip to the doctor’s office. With every option, there are ways that help can be provided in tendonitis treatment. Doctors can often prescribe medications that will reduce the swelling and pain as well. Steroids are sometimes used in more severe cases, yet their long-term use in not generally recommended because of the nasty side effects of these drugs. Pain killers are prescribed for short-term use as well, depending on the severity of the pain. Yet, over a longer period, there use in mostly discouraged because of the risk of becoming dependent.

In the world of alternative therapy, homeopathic remedies are often employed for pain relief and overall healing of the tendonitis. Ginger root and cayenne can be made into a poultice to apply to the skin or into teas to help ease inflammatory conditions. Rubbing natural creams into the place of the tendonitis can be an effective tendonitis treatment as well. Getting to the root cause of the tendonitis is a bit harder, yet is crucial if one wants to overcome this debilitating condition. Often, one’s diet can be changed to include healthier choices and eliminating foods that are causing the inflammation within the body. This often works wonders in actually healing the tendonitis for good. Tendonitis treatments, no matter what route is chosen, are readily available and provide a hopeful outcome for this painful condition.

Calcified Tendonitis

May 13th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

As the name suggests, in calcified tendonitis, a tendon injury has become calcified. Calcification is a normal protective reaction of your body, however the calcifications can cause pain.

Despite this condition’s name, calcified tendonitis is rarely caused by excessive calcium in-take. Most blood tests reveal that the far majority of people diagnosed with this form of tendonitis are not found to have abnormally high levels of calcium in their blood. The best way to diagnose calcified tendonitis is through x-rays, which make it easier to detect excess calcium deposits on the body’s tendons. It is most common for this form of tendonitis to be detected in the shoulders, rather than in other parts of the body. Often patients will find that both shoulders are affected by the condition.

Types of Calcified Tendonitis

Doctors make a distinction between two types of calcified tendonitis, namely degenerative and reactive calcification. Degenerative calcification occurs due to the normal aging process and as a result of regular use. This form of tendonitis will often develop and worsen over an extended period of time. It results from a decrease in blood flow to the shoulder’s rotator cuff, the area where the muscles are connected by several tendons to the largest bone in the upper arm.

Less is known about the exact causes of reactive calcification, but scientists believe it is related to degenerative changes in the structure of tendons that lead to the formation of calcium deposits. Interestingly, this type of calcified tendonitis will cause pain, but usually also heal by itself over time. The calcium deposits are absorbed by the body and new tissue is naturally formed in order to heal the affected tendon.

Who is Most at Risk?

Calcified tendonitis usually affects older people and is very uncommon among those under 30 years of age. Reactive calcification has, however, been diagnosed in younger patients. Degenerative calcification is usually caused by overuse and excessive pressure on the shoulders and is most likely to occur in people over 40 years old. The most common symptoms of this disease include an aching pain and general stiffness in the shoulders, which leads to a decrease in the shoulder’s ability to rotate and move.

Treatment Options

In addition to anti-inflammatory drugs, the most effective way to the treat the pain caused by calcified tendonitis is to apply cortisone injections to the area. A procedure called “lavage” is also sometimes used to treat this condition. Lavage, which means “to clean” in French, involves the insertion of two needles into the shoulders, filled with saltwater, in order to remove the calcium deposits. If the pain remains unbearable, doctors may recommend that the patient undergo minor surgery to rectify the problem.

Copyright © 2007 Fix Tendonitis

Credits: The Stretching Handbook | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund