Excessive inflammation can cause a lot of pain. Hence, treatment for tendon injuries involves proper management of inflammation and other symptoms like swelling, stiffness, and a sensation of heat. A handy treatment method that a lot of tendon injuries can help with is RICE : rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
Resting prevents additional damage on the tendon, while ice application reduces inflammation. Both compression and elevation slow down the influx of fluid into the injured site, thereby reducing swelling.
RICE application allows for some pain relief and helps avoid excess swelling and further damage to the tendon. The repair process takes several weeks, so you may have to take time off sports or physical activities that may further injure the tendon. To facilitate repair, you must have the right balance of nutrients in your diet. Vitamins, minerals, and the right proteins are necessary to ensure that cells can work at optimal conditions while repairing.
Malnutrition can delay or halt the healing process. Arthroscopic surgery or open surgery using one larger incision is sometimes used to treat calcific tendinitis that has not responded to nonsurgical treatment and is causing pain. You can help prevent a tendon injury also known as tendinopathy from developing or recurring by taking steps at home, work, and during activities to promote healing and protect your tendons.
Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.
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Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Tendon Injury Tendinopathy. Top of the page. Topic Overview Is this topic for you? Pain may increase with activity. Symptoms of tendon injury may affect the precise area where the injured tendon is located or may radiate out from the joint area, unlike arthritis pain, which tends to be confined to the joint.
Crepitus, or a crunchy sound or feeling when the tendon is used. This is usually uncomfortable or painful. Pain and stiffness that may be worse during the night or when getting up in the morning. Stiffness in the joint near the affected area. Movement or mild exercise of the joint usually reduces the stiffness. But a tendon injury typically gets worse if the affected tendon is not allowed to rest and heal. Too much movement may make existing symptoms worse or bring the pain and stiffness back.
Exams and Tests To diagnose a tendon injury also known as tendinopathy , your doctor will review your medical history and daily activities and conduct a physical exam to check your overall health, areas of pain and tenderness, and range of motion and strength. These may include: X-rays , which can show any bone-related problems or calcification in tendons or joint structures. MRI magnetic resonance imaging , which can show small tears and areas of tendon, ligament , cartilage , and muscle injury.
Ultrasound , which can show thickening, swelling, or tears in soft tissues such as the bursae and tendons. Treatment Overview Initial treatment for a tendon injury tendinopathy typically includes rest and pain relievers. The goals of this early treatment are to: Reduce pain and inflammation of the tendon. Restore normal motion and strength. The goals of ongoing treatment are to: Reduce pain. Avoid further degeneration or tearing of the tendon.
Encourage regeneration of the damaged tendon. Treatment for tendinopathies Take the following steps to treat tendinopathies: Rest the affected area, and avoid any activity that may cause pain. Get enough sleep. To keep your overall health and fitness, continue exercising but only in ways that do not stress the affected area. Do not resume an aggravating activity as soon as the pain stops.
Tendons require weeks of additional rest to heal. You may need to make long-term changes in the types of activities you do or how you do them. Apply ice or cold packs as soon as you notice pain and tenderness in your muscles or near a joint. Apply ice 10 to 15 minutes at a time, as often as twice an hour, for 72 hours.
Continue applying ice 15 to 20 minutes at a time, 3 times a day as long as it relieves pain. Similar in structure to tendons, ligaments are another common tissue that is injured. Ligaments connect bones to bones, providing stability to joints. They direct our motions and also prevent extreme movements that could cause injury.
The ACL is one ligament prone to injury that may be far too familiar to some, especially in the sports of football, basketball, soccer, and gymnastics. Mild ligament sprains can take from two to four weeks to heal, and moderate sprains may take more than 10 weeks. The healing time increases from six months to a year if surgery is needed. Last but not least, bones provide support for the body and serve as attachment points for ligaments and tendons.
A fracture in larger bones can take up to 12 weeks to heal, and it may not be completely recovered for up to a year. Interventions typically consist of surgery, immobilization in a cast, or time spent in a boot. Regardless of the course of treatment, time needs to be taken to reduce stress on the area and allow the bone to heal properly. So how long does it take to heal? It depends on the tissues involved as well as the severity of the injury. Keep in mind that these timeframes are also based on acute conditions and negate other factors such as age, nutritional state, obesity, medical issues, as well as chronic conditions.
Although the time frames above are not for specific injuries, hopefully, it provides a starting point for understanding the timeline of tissue healing.
Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy is a collection of locally-owned facilities that provide services to patients with a variety of conditions. Paracetamol and ibuprofen can help to ease pain. There are tendons all over your body. They connect your muscles to bones in your joints, for example, in your knees, elbows and shoulders.
If the pain is sudden and severe, and happened during an accident or activity, you may have ruptured a tendon. You might have heard a popping or snapping sound when the pain started.
If your tendon is ruptured, you may be referred to a specialist for assessment. You may be referred to hospital for an X-ray or scan if your doctor thinks you may have another injury, such as a broken bone. If the pain is severe, lasts a long time, or your movement is limited, you may be referred for physiotherapy.
You can also choose to book appointments privately.
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