Performing stretches and strengthening exercises might help alleviate your symptoms if you suffer from tendonitis, or tendon inflammation. Choose exercises that target the affected area or areas of your body. Consult a physical therapist to help with exercise selection, and for advice about how frequently you should exercise and how many sets and repetitions you should perform.
Bicep Stretch
The biceps brachii muscle, or just biceps for short, is located in the front of your upper arm and helps flex your elbow, decreasing the angle between your forearm and upper arm. Stretching the biceps regularly might help treat tendonitis that develops on either end of the muscle. Stand upright, extend your affected arm sideways, away from your shoulder, and place the thumb side of your hand against a wall with your palm facing downward. Turn in the opposite direction until you feel a gentle stretch through the biceps muscle, then hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Heel Drops
The Achilles tendon is susceptible to tendonitis because you stress it repeatedly when you walk, run or jump. Performing heel drops might help ease the pain associated with the condition. Stand on a step and hold a rail for balance. Move the back half of your feet off the edge of the step and lower them as far as possible, stretching your Achilles tendons and calf muscles simultaneously. Then extend your ankles to lift your heels back to the starting position and repeat the exercise multiple times. Perform the exercise with your affected leg only to increase the intensity.
Hip Circles
Performing hip circles might help relieve pain due to tendonitis near your hip joint. Stand behind a chair and hold its back with both hands for balance. Trace a half circle on the floor with the foot on the same side as your affected leg. If your left hip is painful, for example, move your left foot forward several inches, then circle it backward until it's several inches behind the starting position. Repeat the same motion in the opposite direction, circling your foot forward, and continue switching directions for your desired number of repetitions. Progressively increase the range of motion as your symptoms diminish.
Wall Squats
Performing wall squats works your hips and knees through flexion and extension ranges of motion. The exercise might help treat tendonitis near either joint. Stand with your feet one to two feet away from the base of a wall, about shoulder width apart and facing in the opposite direction. Lean backward, placing your back, shoulders and head flush against the wall, and squeeze a basketball, soccer ball or rolled-up pillow or towel between your knees. Squat down about 12 inches, sliding your back along the wall, and hold for 10 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat. Progressively squat lower until you can flex your knees to 90 degrees without pain.
