Physical Therapy for Tendonitis in Irving

Tendonitis (also known as tendinitis) is painful. There’s no other way of saying it. It can impact all kinds of movements and create significant inconveniences in your life. But it is treatable through physical therapy, and at Physical Therapy Now in Irving, we’re ready to help you win the battle against tendonitis. First, let’s learn more about the condition.

What Is Tendonitis?

As defined by the Cleveland Clinic, tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon. Tendons are pieces of connective tissue between muscles and bones. Tendonitis can be either acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) in nature. Either way, it’s painful.

What Causes Tendonitis?

Tendonitis often occurs when people are engaged in repetitive activities. The tendons become inflamed or irritated from the repeated motion, causing pain in that particular area. Some activities that often lead to tendonitis include:

Sports, such as golf, volleyball, tennis, soccer, skiing, and baseball/softball
Painting
Scrubbing
Woodworking
Gardening or landscaping
Shoveling

Some other conditions or instances may leave some people more susceptible to tendonitis than others, such as:

Muscle-weakening diseases like gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and blood or kidney disease
Poor posture
Those over the age of 40, since tendons weaken with age

Of course, there are other ways that tendonitis can develop, so it’s essential to know the symptoms or signs of tendonitis so you can get it treated quickly. If you’re experiencing pain at the site of a tendon, there’s a good chance you have tendonitis.

Where Is Tendonitis Commonly Found?

Tendonitis can occur anywhere in the body where a tendon is connecting a bone to a muscle, but the most common occurrences for tendonitis tend to happen in the elbow (tennis/golf elbow), the shoulder, the hip, the biceps, the knee, the Achilles tendon (this tendon runs from your heel to your calf), and the base of your thumb.

If you experience pain in any of these areas or any other parts of the body that you use repeatedly, there’s a good chance you have tendonitis. Most orthopedic doctors will diagnose the condition using simple imaging tests and will often prescribe physical therapy. But keep in mind – if you skip the trip to the physician and come straight to physical therapy, we can give you a diagnosis too!

How Physical Therapy Can Help Tendonitis

Exercises designed to stretch and strengthen the muscle-tendon area where you’re experiencing the pain can be very effective. Of course, every individual and his or her body responds differently to different types of treatment. Strengthening has proven to be effective in battling through tendonitis. As has stretch therapy, massage therapy, and exercise therapy, all of which help build and stretch out the muscles and tendons, which relieves the pain and helps prevent it from returning.

No matter what type of tendonitis you have, our experienced team at Physical Therapy Now in Irving can help you get through your tendonitis pain and back to the activities you enjoy.