Tendinitis, sometimes also spelled "tendonitis," is the inflammation of a tendon. Tendons are the cord-like structures that connect your muscles to your bones. Tendinitis is a condition that can occur in any area of your body; it produces pain and tenderness near your joints. There are more informal terms used to describe the inflammation near specific joints, such as "tennis elbow," "golfer's elbow" and "swimmer's shoulder," but you do not have to be an athlete to suffer from the condition. Exercise, with its repetitive movements, can sometimes be the cause of tendinitis, but it can also be a key to recovery.
Time Frame
When you are dealing with tendinitis pain and swelling, jumping right back into your normal workout can cause further damage to your soft tissues and joints and can increase your pain as well. The first line treatment for tendinitis is rest. Cut back on your exercise and daily activities if they aggravate your condition. Icing your tender joints reduces inflammation and can make you feel more comfortable while the injury is fresh. Once the swelling has receded and you are no longer feeling acute pain, you are most likely safe to resume exercise, but check with your doctor first. He may recommend using compression bandages when you exercise with tendinitis to give your joints and tendons a little more support and to control swelling.
Stretch First
Begin your workout with several minutes of stretching to warm your muscles. Range-of-motion stretches are recommended as part of your treatment for tendinitis because the movements keep your joints working as they should. After several days of inactivity, you will most likely feel stiff and slow in the joints. The exercises to perform will depend on the location of your tendinitis. General range-of-motion exercise include bending and extending your joints as far as you can without feeling pain.
Cross Train
One main cause of tendinitis is overworking a particular body part, such as your shoulder if you are a pitcher. After you have been given the green light to resume physical activities, you may find that you still feel some tenderness or twinges in the affected joint when you get back to your normal workout. Cross training is an ideal way to combat this situation without you needing to sit on the sidelines. Instead of focusing solely on your upper body, for example, if you play softball, alternate your workouts to include exercises for your lower body as well. You will avoid overusing your injured shoulder muscle, strengthen your legs and experience the health and emotional benefits of getting back into motion. Proper technique must also be addressed if your tendinitis stems from a sports injury; make sure you are swinging your bat or golf club correctly to avoid straining your tendons and muscles further.
Strengthen
Strength training plays a role in exercising with tendinitis. Strengthening the muscles around your affected joint helps protect you from injury and strains. Your physical therapist can teach you specific exercises to strengthen, according to where your weaknesses lie. Calf strengthening is beneficial to those with Achilles tendinitis; hamstring and quadriceps exercises are likely to be prescribed for knee tendinitis, and shoulder exercises help people who experience inflammation of the rotator cuff.
