How to Treat and Prevent Tendinitis
Tennis elbow, quarterback shoulder, and jumper’s knee are all forms of tendinitis, a painful but often preventable injury. Tendinitis is the body’s way of signaling that too much stress is being placed on a muscle and joint.
Tendons are connective tissues that attach muscles to bones. When muscles contract, tendons respond by pulling on bones and creating movement.
“Too much stress on joints can tear and inflame tendons,” said Jacob Ries PA-C, a certified physician assistant at the PIH Health Orthopedics Center. “If the damage is mild or happens only occasionally, the tissue usually heals quickly. When the stress happens repeatedly, however, the pain can become constant.”
Several types of repeated stress can lead to tendinitis, including:
- Forceful or violent motions, such as pitching a fastball
- Unnatural motions, like serving a tennis ball
- Poor body mechanics or method when doing an activity like aerobics, lifting weights, or painting the ceiling
Often several of these factors may be involved at once.
What is tendinitis?
Chronic tendinitis is a dull but constant soreness that feels worse when you first start to move and then eases up as muscles get warmer.
Acute tendinitis is a sharper pain that may keep you from moving the joint. The pain may eventually go away, but it's likely to return if the stressful motion is repeated.
Treating tendinitis
See a healthcare provider if you think you have tendinitis. Your provider may recommend the classic RICE treatment for pain relief:
- Rest the joint
- Apply ice packs
- Compress the area with an elastic bandage to ease soreness and inflammation
- Keep the joint elevated
Your provider may also recommend over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin (for adults), naproxen, or ibuprofen. Talk with your healthcare provider before taking any over-the-counter medicine for this condition, especially if this is the first time.
Stretching is also a vital part of treatment. If your provider approves, begin gentle exercises within a day or two to strengthen the muscles around the sore joint:
- Start with a long warmup to reduce shock to the tissues
- Lift light weights or use an elastic exercise band
- Begin slowly and gradually increase intensity as your strength improves
- Hold each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds
- Repeat three to five times
Preventing tendinitis
These methods will help prevent tendinitis and promote a healthy workout:
- Warm up thoroughly and gradually build the intensity of your workout. Cool down afterward.
- Train for a new sport before you begin. Start building strength and flexibility in the muscles you will use a few weeks or months in advance.
- Learn the correct technique and use proper equipment for any exercise or activity. Work out regularly, not just once a week.
Next steps
If joint pain interferes with your daily activities or exercise routine, it may be time to seek care. Early evaluation and treatment can help prevent tendinitis from becoming a long-term problem. Visit PIHHealth.org to learn more about Jacob Ries PA-C and make an appointment.
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