Tendonitis treatment
The goals of Tendonitis treatment are to relieve your pain and reduce inflammation.
Often, simple home treatment — which includes rest, ice and over-the-counter pain
relievers — is all that's needed.
Sometimes your doctor may inject a steroid drug into tissue around a tendon to relieve
Tendonitis. Injections of cortisone reduce inflammation and can help ease pain. These
injections must be used with care because repeated injections may weaken the tendon or
cause undesirable side effects. They may also increase your risk of rupturing a tendon.
Research has shown that people with Tendonitis and tendonosis may also be helped by a
program of specific exercise designed to strengthen the force-absorbing capability of the
muscle-tendon unit. When a tendon is torn, a reconstructive operation may be necessary to
clean inflammatory tissue out of the tendon sheath or relieve pressure on the tendon by
removing bone. Surgeons can repair tendon tears to reduce pain, restore function and, in
some cases, prevent tendon rupture.
Self treatment of Tendonitis
To treat Tendonitis at home, P.R.I.C.E. is the word to remember — protection,
rest, ice, compression and elevation. This treatment can help speed your recovery and help
prevent further problems. P.R.I.C.E. involves doing the following:
- Protection.
Immobilize the affected area to encourage healing and to protect it from
further injury. You may need to use elastic wraps, slings, splints, crutches or canes.
- Rest.
Avoid activities that increase the pain or swelling. Rest is essential to
tissue healing. But it doesn't mean complete bed rest. You can do other activities and
exercises that do not stress the injured tendon. Swimming and water exercise may be well
tolerated.
- Ice.
To decrease pain, muscle spasm and swelling, apply ice to the injured area. Ice
packs, ice massage or slush baths all can help.
- Compression.
Because swelling can result in loss of motion in an injured joint,
compress the area until the swelling has ceased. Wraps or compressive (Ace) elastic
bandages are best.
- Elevation.
To reduce swelling, raise the affected leg above the level of your heart.
It's especially important to use this position at night.
Although rest is a key part of treating Tendonitis, prolonged inactivity can cause
stiffness in your joints. After a few days of completely resting the injured area, gently
move it through its full range of motion four times a day to maintain joint flexibility.
You can also try nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and
ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or products containing acetaminophen (Tylenol, others)
in an attempt to reduce the discomfort associated with Tendonitis. But be sure to consult
your doctor if you need NSAIDs for an extended time because some should be used for only
short periods to avoid complications. The benefits gained from using these drugs long-term
also are questionable. If you take them frequently or take more than the recommended dose,
NSAIDs can cause nausea, stomach pain, stomach bleeding or ulcers. In rare cases prolonged
use can disrupt normal kidney function. The risk of these conditions increases with your
age. Individuals with liver problems should consult their physician before using products
containing acetaminophen. |
