Are you experiencing Tendinitis?
So you saw your doctor about pain you’ve been experiencing, and low and behold you have Tendonitis.
“What is Tendinitis?”
“How the heck did I get this, I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary!”
“Why me?!”
Don’t worry, Tendinitis isn’t the end of the world.
Tendons are the strong tissues that connect muscles to bones, and Tendinitis is simply the inflammation of an overused tendon. That doesn’t sound as bad, does it?
So, how do we fix it?
The very first thing we do at Prime Spine Associates is identify what caused the tendon’s overuse. Tendinitis is most commonly found in the outside of the elbow (Tennis Elbow), the front of the shoulder (Biceps Tendinitis), the front of the knee just below the knee cap (Patella Tendinitis), and the back of the lower leg just above the ankle (Achilles Tendinitis).
Just like with many other injuries, when a muscle or group of muscles is being overused, the result is a production of scar tissue. The developed scar tissue causes the increased/abnormal tension on the tendon which leads to inflammation and therefore pain.
Basically, the tendon being overworked is suffering a great deal of microtrauma, so the body sends an abnormal amount of blood to the area in order to try and heal the tendon. The increased blood and microtrauma in and around the tendon is what is causing the pain.
“How the heck do I get rid of this?”
If you’re reading this page, you most likely have already tried your medical doctor’s advice and have taken ibuprofen/Advil/Aleve/Motrin for the past 2 weeks, and the pain is still there. The reason for this is likely due to the fact that all your doctor is having you do is controlling the inflammation. In essence, you’re wiping up the wet cabinet under your kitchen sink without fixing the leaky pipe!
What to do:
- Identify what activity caused the chiropractic problem in the first place and reduce or change how you do it.
- Have a professional chiropractor diagnose and break down the scar tissue causing the abnormal tension on your tendon.
- If there is weakness present once the scar tissue is broken down, a rehab exercise may be warranted (your professional will determine this when the time is right)
What NOT to do:
- Don’t jump into physical therapy and do exercises that work the same muscle/tendon that is already being overworked. That’s what created the problem in the first place!
- Don’t just put ice on it, this is only controlling the inflammation and will only temporarily help with the pain. It won’t fix the root of the problem.
- Foam Rolling, Trigger Point ball, Lacrosse ball, or any other object that you, yourself, just roll over the skin will not fix the problem.
Long story short, you need a professional soft tissue evaluation in order to receive a diagnosis and implementation plan to your Tendinitis. To get this professional evaluation from our Elma chiropractors at Prime Spine Associates, schedule a call today at 716-677-5525.
Certified in Advanced Chiropractic Care
