Tendinitis
If you only feel the pain of tendinitis during or after exercise, and if it isn't too bad,
you may be thinking that you could run a race or swim laps with that same amount of
pain if you had to. Or maybe you already have.
In either case, you would be wise to realign your thinking. "You shouldn't play
through pain unless your physician or physical therapist tells you otherwise," says
the American Physical Therapy Association's Bob Mangine.
If pain is severe and you continue to abuse the tendon, it may rupture, says athletics
trainer Bob Reese. And that could mean a long layoff, surgery, or even permanent
disability.
In other words, exercising through tendon pain today could mean staying on the
sidelines for the remainder of your tomorrows.
Like simple muscle soreness from overuse, tendinitis inflammation in or around, a
tendon can be painful. But where simple muscle soreness is temporary, tendinitis is
tenacious it's soreness that doesn't quit.
In fact, if chronic tendinitis had a credo, it might go like this: "Here today, here
tomorrow, here to stay."
But does it really have to be so bleak, or is there hope for what, after all, sounds like
a rather minor problem?
Yes, there is hope, says Bob Mangine, chairman of the American Physical Therapy
Association's Sports Physical Therapy Section. "But if you continue to use the tendon
in the same repetitive motion that triggered the problem in the first place, it's going to
be very difficult to get better." And that applies to everyone from world-class
marathoners to window washers and typists.
Still, it's possible to lessen the effects of tendinitis and prevent intense flare-ups,
says Mangine, who is also administrative director of rehabilitation at the Cincinnati
Sports Medicine Clinic. The key, he says, is unlocking your mind and freeing yourself
to change some of your old ways.
Give It A Rest
"That's a hard thing to get people to do," says Mangine. But a runner with Achilles
tendinitis, for example, can't realistically expect any improvement if he doesn't take at
least a couple of days away from the one-two pounding.
Of course, resting is easier said than done if you make your living washing windows
and have tendinitis of the shoulder from constantly raising your arms over your head.
But if tendinitis is a side effect of your job, it might not be a bad idea to save a day or
two of vacation for those times when tendinitis is painfully persistent.
But Don't Give It Too Long A Rest
"Muscles will start to atrophy," Mangine says. And for athletes, "we never
recommend absolute rest," adds Ted Percy, M.D., an associate professor of
orthopedic surgery and head of the Sports Medicine Section at the University of
Arizona College of Medicine, Health Sciences Center.
Switch Instead Of Fight
If your tendinitis is exercise induced, a new exercise may be just what your inflamed
tendon needs. Runners with tendon problems in the lower legs, for example, can
stay on the road if you're willing to hop on a bicycle, which will still give you a good
upper-leg workout.
Give It A Whirl
Taking a whirlpool bath or just soaking in warm bathwater is a good way to raise
body temperature and increase blood flow. Warming the tendon before stressful
activity decreases the soreness associated with tendinitis, says Mangine.
Use The Ballerina Treatment
The New York Jets football team finds using this method (inspired by a ballet dancer
who had tendinitis) successful. With tendinitis of the knee, for example, treatment
involves placing a warm, moist towel over the knee, then a plastic bag, then a
heating pad, and last, a loose elastic wrap just to hold everything in place. Keep it on
from 2 to 6 hours. To avoid burning yourself, keep the heating pad on low, advises
Bob Reese, head trainer for the Jets and president of the Professional Football
Athletic Trainers Society. For maximum success, your injured body part should be
kept at a level higher than your heart.
Warm With Stretching
The above heat treatments are only the first part of the warm-up equation. You
should always stretch before exercising at full speed, says Terry Malone, Ed.D.,
executive director of sports medicine at Duke University. Stretching prevents the
shortening of muscles and tendons that goes along with exercise.
In addition, says Mangine, some studies suggest that people who are less flexible
are more prone to develop tendinitis. So stretching should be a regular part of your
routine.
Brace Yourself
Even a little extra support and warmth from a flexible brace or wrap can help during
exercise and afterward, Mangine says. "There is no truth to the old wives' tale that
wearing a brace will weaken the tendons and muscles, provided," he stresses, "you
continue exercising."
Deep-Freeze The Pain
After exercising, ice is great for holding down both swelling and pain, Mangine says.
However, people with heart disease, diabetes, or vascular problems should be
careful about using ice because ice constricts blood vessels and could cause serious
difficulties in people with such problems.
Wrap It Up
Another alternative for reducing swelling is to wrap your pain in an Ace bandage,
says Dr. Percy. Just be careful not to wrap the inflamed area too tightly or to leave
the area wrapped for so long that it becomes uncomfortable or interferes with
circulation.
Strengthen
"When we say strengthen, we're not asking people to be an Arnold
Schwarzenegger," Mangine says, "just to get better defined muscles by working out
at home with light weights. You can even use pennies in a sock to work arm
muscles." And that's a lot cheaper than a set of weights.
Take Breaks
This is a simple way to at least temporarily relieve physical stress at work, says Scott
Donkin, D.C., a chiropractor in Lincoln, Nebraska, and author of Sitting on the Job. "If
you work in an awkward position," he says, "tendinitis can develop quite easily.
Especially in the arms or wrists if you're working at a keyboard or typewriter all day."
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Excerpted from Doctors Book of Home Remedies
