What is tendinitis?
Tendinitis is a condition that causes inflammation and pain in your tendons. Your tendons are responsible for connecting your muscles to your bones and joints. When your tendons become inflamed or irritated, you can experience:
- Pain, swelling, and redness
- Snapping sensation in your tendon
- Soreness in your tendon
- Knots or adhesions in the involved muscle
- Sudden, severe pain
Tendinitis is typically an acute injury that resolves with treatment after two to three weeks. In some cases, tendinitis may become chronic and cause compensation patterns in the associated muscles and joints.
What causes tendinitis?
Tendinitis can be caused by trauma or overuse. Tendons work by maintaining tension when muscle contracts and relaxes. This prevents the muscle from tearing and the tendon from tearing away from the bone. Trauma to the tendon or overuse — either from repetitive motions or the frequent rubbing of your tendon over a bone or joint — can wear down the tendon.
As you wear the tendon down, it can develop tiny tears that trigger pain, swelling, and inflammation. While rest and ice are common treatments early on, seeing the team at Healthy Step Podiatry is the best option to diagnose your condition and receive treatment to heal fully in a timely manner.
Where can tendinitis occur?
Tendinitis can occur in any tendon in the body. Certain areas are more prone to developing tendinitis, including:
- Achilles tendon
- Extensor tendons in your feet and ankles
- Peroneal tendons
- Flexor Hallucis, Longus, and Brevis tendons in the soles of your feet
- Patellar tendon
These areas often develop tendinitis from frequent walking, running, or knee bending.
What is the treatment for tendinitis?
In order to treat tendinitis, the team recommends beginning with rest, ice, compression, and elevation until the swelling and pain subside. As you’re able to walk and move your foot or ankle with less pain, the team may recommend physical therapy to strengthen the surrounding muscles and take the load off of your tendon. Wearing a brace may also be helpful in the initial stages of your recovery.
The team may also recommend platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to initiate healing of acute and chronic tendinitis. For severe tendinitis, including tendon tears, the team may recommend surgery to correct the damage in your tendon. In most cases, you’ll need to wear a walking boot or cast after surgery until your tendon heals and you can bear weight fully.
Find out if your symptoms are caused by tendinitis by visiting Healthy Step Podiatry — just call or book online to schedule an appointment.
