Treating Tendonitis: What You Need To Know

Tendonitis, an inflammation or an irritation of the tendon, can make even the simplest of day-to-day tasks difficult and painful. If you are living with tendonitis, you don't have to live in pain. You can visit a physical therapist for treatment, as well as do some things at home to help you treat this painful condition.

Initial Treatment and Ongoing Treatment

The initial treatment of tendonitis is generally quite simple. It revolves around rest, determining the cause of the tendonitis and taking anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the amount of pain and swelling that it caused by tendonitis. It is important to determine what is causing the tendonitis so that you can stop whatever activities caused the problem in the first place.

The second goal of treating tendonitis is to restore full use and range of motion back to the tendon without any pain or problems.

If the pain continues, there are several forms of ongoing treatment that can be used to treat tendonitis. One of the most common forms of ongoing therapy is physical therapy (consider go to sites from your local area if you don't have a physical therapist yet). A licensed physical therapist will work with you in order to restore your tendon to its full working condition through various exercises and techniques using technology, such as placing the tendon in a sand based "bath" and attempting to use the tendon's motion as you once would have been able to.

The physical therapy treatment may require you to stop some daily activities, or perform others in limited capacity. If you are a runner or jogger, for example, taking a morning jog will have to take a backseat to much less strenuous work for the time being.

The primary goals of ongoing treatment are things such as reducing pain, avoiding further deterioration or harm to the tendon, and encouraging regrowth of the damaged tendon. Ongoing treatment seeks to actively rehabilitate the tendon. It is best to consult with your physician regarding what sort of form of ongoing treatment would suit you best.

At-Home Remedies

While it is best to seek the advice and skills of a trained physician, there are a number of things you can do to help the healing process occur much more quickly once you're at home from your physician's office.

First and foremost, get plenty of rest. Make sure that you're spending a lot of time lying flat on your back with your leg slightly elevated. Tendons generally require several weeks of recuperation time, so get used to your couch for a bit.

Make sure to ice the offending area when you are first injured. Apply ice for about 10 minutes two times every hour throughout the day. The ice will help with the swelling of the area, and will also serve to relieve a bit of the pain. Heating pads may sound like a better option to you, but ice will better serve to heal the tendon.

Take medication for pain as you deem necessary. Anti-inflammatory medication will not serve to heal you or "fix" your tendon, but it can relieve a bit of the pain. Remember to take such pills with caution and, if you have not taken them in the past, consult with your physician regarding the dosage. Finally, take your time and start doing the things you would normally do day-to-day slowly as you start to heal.

Tendonitis doesn't have to make you suffer constantly. If you follow the advice of your physical therapist, as well as work on treating your tendonitis at home, you should see the painful effects of tendonitis start to fade in time. Just make sure you keep up your exercises and treatments even as you start to feel the pain from tendonitis start to fade!