Symptoms, Causes & Differentiating it From Other Similar Ailments
Tendonitis is quite a common ailment among athletes, including bodybuilders. As bodybuilders push their bodies to the limit, injuries like tendonitis become more prevalent. The incredible amount of stress and weight that is placed on the muscles and joints in an athletic setting puts the body at an increased risk for injury, such as tendonitis.
Often, athletes may ignore the initial--seemingly insignificant--pain or discomfort in their muscles and joints that tendonitis may start off as and continue on with their exercise routine. These athletes may unknowingly be putting their bodies under increased stress that will only make their condition worse. Identifying the pain and getting an accurate diagnosis of what is causing it is essential in dealing with tendonitis--regardless of what part of the body is affected. Treating tendonitis early on and applying effective treatment and therapy methods and modalities is crucial to treating the tendonitis as efficiently and quickly as possible.
What is Tendonitis?
Tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendons within a joint that is generally caused by an acute injury or repetitive chronic overuse of a muscle or joint. Tendons attach the muscle to the bone, and need to be able to move and bend in a smooth plane in order to allow functional movement at the joint. After chronic overuse or an acute injury, the function of the tendon becomes impaired--causing irritation and inflammation of the tendon. This inflammation is generally accompanied by pain and discomfort, resulting in a decrease in the movement and function of the muscles and joints of the affected area. The non-elasticity and stiffness of tendons make them more susceptible to tearing and inflammation, due to constant pulling or acute force created on the tendon. With excessive force or movement in the joint, the tendon becomes tighter--often resulting in tearing of the fibers.
Common areas of the body where tendonitis is most likely to occur include the following:
• Rotator cuff of the shoulder
• Bicipital tendons
• Insertion of the wrist extensors and flexors at the elbow
• Patellar tendons at the knee
• Posterior tibial tendon in the leg
• Achilles tendon at the heel
Causes of Tendonitis
Tendonitis is caused by one of two problems:
Chronic Overuse - Repetitive motions and overuse of certain muscles and joints can result in tendonitis. This overuse usually demands too much from a particular tendon, and does not provide the tendon with enough time to recover and repair itself. Tendons generally have a much lower blood supply than muscles, which can make them more prone to injury. This is one of the reasons why areas such as the rotator cuff or the patellar tendons are more prone to injuries like tendonitis.
Acute Trauma - After a traumatic injury, tendons are susceptible to becoming inflamed. As opposed to chronic overuse, acute injuries usually involve one single traumatic event that causes inflammation and tearing of the tendon. If the tendon is not provided with enough time to repair itself after injury, chronic tendonitis may occur.
Symptoms of Tendonitis
Some common symptoms of tendonitis include the following:
• Pain in the affected area
• Dramatic decrease in mobility and range of motion
• Swelling, heat and/or redness
• Weakness in the affected area
• Sensation of crackling as the tendon moves
• A lump that may develop on the tendon
Sometimes tendonitis symptoms may creep up on an athlete, starting off as subtle pain and discomfort. For this reason, many athletes like bodybuilders may ignore these symptoms and disregard them as insignificant pain and/or stiffness in the affected area. By ignoring these symptoms and continuing on with a training regimen, the symptoms and problem will persist and become worse over time (making it necessary to apply more aggressive treatment methods). This is why it is essential to pay attention to specific symptoms and assess whether or not they are the result of an injury that requires treatment.
Differentiating Between Tendonitis, Bursitis and Tendonosis
Determining the exact diagnosis of the problem is essential before a treatment regimen is started. Sometimes tendonitis may be confused with bursitis or tendonosis--considering the fact that some of the symptoms of each are quite similar.
The following outline compares the differences between tendonitis, bursitis and tendonosis:
Tendonitis
• Inflammation of the tendons
• Symptoms occur right away
• Pain is caused by inflammation or tearing of the tendon
• Visually simple to detect
• Requires immediate rest
• Usually caused by injury
Bursitis
• Inflammation of the bursa (fluid sacs) in a joint
• Symptoms occur right away
• Pain is caused by inflammation of the bursa
• Visually simple to detect
• Requires immediate rest
• Can also be caused by bacterial infection
Tendonosis
• Degeneration of the fibrous material (collagen) of the tendons
• Symptoms may occur long after an injury has occurred
• Pain is caused by the tendons becoming flaccid and unable to function
• Difficult to detect visually due to the lack of inflammation
• Requires continued movement and aggressive exercise therapy
• Usually caused by injury
Conclusion
Engaging in sporting activities always poses a risk to injury. An injury like tendonitis is quite common across a vast number of sports and activities, and can be caused by either an acute injury, or from repetitive actions performed over a specific length of time. Prevention is key, and knowing what needs to be done - and avoided - is crucial to minimizing the risk of developing tendonitis. It's also important to have an accurate diagnosis made immediately after the first symptoms are noticed in order to minimize the extent of the damage, and engage in the most effective treatment possible.
In Part Two, we will discuss different treatment methods and what you can do to prevent tendonitis in the first place to ensure that you are able to train as hard as you want.
References
Almekinders, LC. "Tendinitis and other chronic tendinopathies" J. Am. Acad. Ortho. Surg., May 1998; 6: 157 - 164. <http://www.jaaos.org/content/6/3/157.abstract>
<http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Tendonitis/Pages/Symptoms.aspx>
"Arthritis and Tendinitis" <http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/arthritis-tendinitis>
"MayoClinic.com: Patellar Tendinitis" <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/patellar-tendinitis/DS00625/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs>
"American College of Rheumatology: Tendonitis" <http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/tendonitis.asp>
"MayoClinic.com: Tendinitis" <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tendinitis/DS00153>
"Medical News Today: What Is Tendinitis (Tendonitis)? What Causes Tendinitis?" <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175596.php>
"National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health: Tendinitis" http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001229.htm
Lisa Simonelli Rennie – Lisa is a kinesiologist and has a BA in the Health Sciences from York University in Toronto, Canada. She has been involved in sports her whole life and became seriously involved in fitness and strength training while at York University. During this time, she also became heavily involved in running and trained for half-marathons. She has also been involved in sports and physical therapy and has helped to rehabilitate patients through strength training. As of the last few years, Lisa has become involved in sharing her knowledge of the health and fitness industry through writing and hopes that the information she shares will benefit anyone who reads her material.