Thread: Tendonitis

I've got a nagging case of tendonitis that just refuses to heal. It's the outside of my right wrist (palm down) running up my arm.

I've tried rest, ice, heat - nothing is doing much good.

Not horrible painful, but it's keeping me out of the gym.

Anyone got cure suggestions besides rest, heat or ice?

Amputation is not an option....

Swap hands - a change is as good as a rest.

Should have anticipated that......

Treatment

The quicker your tendonitis is treated, the sooner you'll recover full strength and flexibility. Your doctor first may recommend that you apply ice packs to the painful area for 20-minute periods, three or four times a day.

You also should ice the area immediately after any activity that aggravates your pain. To relieve pain and swelling, your doctor may suggest that you take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others), aspirin or another nonprescription anti-inflammatory medication, for up to several weeks.

You also will need to rest the area for a few days to a few weeks to allow your body to repair itself. For example, people with golfer's elbow usually need to rest the affected elbow for at least one month. If an infection is causing the tendonitis, an antibiotic is recommended.

Depending on the location and severity of tendonitis, you may need temporary splinting, bracing or a sling (for tendonitis in the upper extremity). However, it is important to gently and regularly move the joint to avoid getting a stiff, or "frozen," joint. This is particularly important for tendonitis involving the shoulder.

For more serious cases of noninfectious tendonitis, your doctor may inject a corticosteroid drug or local anesthetic into the affected tendon.

He or she also may refer you to a physical therapist for more specialized local treatments, such as deep heat treatments using ultrasound, friction massage or water therapy to improve joint mobility. The physical therapist also will guide you through a rehabilitation program that will help you to regain strength, motion and function. The length of time for rehabilitation varies depending on the type and severity of tendonitis. For example, Achilles tendonitis and epicondylitis may require several months to resolve.

Surgery is rarely needed to treat tendonitis. It is reserved for cases that do not respond to other types of treatment or when there is significant tendon damage that is unlikely to improve with any othe treatment.

sounds like you might need a steroid jab.

^Thanks. Hadn't thought of ultrasound. May try that first.

Tendonitis is nature's way of telling you the gym ain't a good idea.

At your age, walking and swimming exercises are best.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Tendonitis is nature's way of telling you the gym ain't a good idea.

At your age, walking and swimming exercises are best.

A weight program is a key part of a post-stroke recovery physical therapy program.

I like the idea of extreme heat with those herbal pads they use in massage centers...
But I want it hotter than hell without burning the skin...
Found only one place that complied at a good wat somewhere in Pattumthani years ago...Was recommended to me when even the good massage ladies were not helping...

They had a continuous supply of herbal pads steaming in the "slow cookers," and kept changing them...

After 3 sessions, there was quite a noticeable improvement in my torn shoulder, an infliction which caused constant pain for many months...

Don't care for operations...And I have dealt with pain in various injuries where others have had surgery...Always recovered, fully...

^Thanks. Have a great pool walking distance from the house, but the water right now is COLD!

Tiger Balm works for me. I get quite pronounced swelling in the same place you indicated and two days of TigerBalm reduces the swelling dramatically.

Also use Mobic on prescription. Quite a strong anti-inflam.

^I normally don't take medication, but I'm going on Ibuprofen today and see if that helps. Don't think I can get TigerBalm here.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

It's the outside of my right wrist (palm down) running up my arm

Paying the price now for all those years choking your chicken mate ...

ibuprofen is very damaging to the stomach lining. should be used with care.

I buggered my forearm up when I swam too much - averaging 1000 metres a day doing the breast stroke. Never had a problem before and in the end I couldn't even lift a full pint of lager without the pain proving unbearable. Bloody doctor told me to drink half pints!

His long term advice was simple rest and avoid straining it and eventually it would sort itself out. He was right but it took three months before the symptoms abated.

Analgesics, compresses and the like might provide passing comfort but in the end it was just time and favouring the other arm while the injured forearm recuperated.

He did say if the pain remained for any length of time he might consider a couple shots of cortisone into the affected area but he didn't really fancy that given it only treated the symptoms temporarily.

Modify your fitness regime accordingly and give it time.

^Think that's right on the money.

Although waiting to heal has never been one of my strong points.

Will do more crunches and leg work, and concentrate on the left arm for a while. The left is what got stroke damaged in any case.

No, that is bad advice. As I have said, cortisone does not treat any underlying problem, it merely addresses the symptoms and masks the pain and discomfort temporarily without any long term effect.

Doctors here in Asia are of course only too happy to prescribe it since it deceives the ignorant whilst padding their bills.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

No, that is bad advice. As I have said, cortisone does not treat any underlying problem, it merely addresses the symptoms and masks the pain and discomfort temporarily without any long term effect.

Doctors here in Asia are of course only too happy to prescribe it since it deceives the ignorant whilst padding their bills.

Well I'll tell my Doctor you said that then, because that's what he told me.

He's a very, very good doctor. Still eh, he probably never should have gone to medical school all those years ago....

Dont know if its any help , but my ex had similar probs , he used to use very hot water then very cold , used to scare me how hot it was , but this would give him relief untill the next flare up.. really is crap i wish you well ..

Clearly, if the pain prevents sleep, rest or interferes with daily life to a degree it constitutes a distressing disability then cortisone injections are a therapy but they are not a "cure".

That is the point I was making.

Catering for differing levels of intelligence is always a challenge here, it seems.

Davis has made it quite apparent his condition is bothersome but not unbearable and as such is experienced by thousands who, like me, were advised that the only efficacious therapy treating the condition was rest and recuperation until all the symptoms abated, and the stricture that one should henceforth not strain the limb unnecessarily.

Originally Posted by taxexile

ibuprofen is very damaging to the stomach lining. should be used with care

I had stomach problems with brufen and other anti inflamatories. Solved by Docs advice. Take it 20 mins after a meal. No more problems.

I've recently had to make some changes to my gym routine with similar issues as well. The good news is you can always find a way to work around it, just need to be a bit more careful and inventive.

My elbow/forearm tendons went within a month of each other about 4 years ago. Seems to be common in your forties.

Pain in the ass. Couldn't do any work in the garden.

Just had to wait. Took 3 months to heal. Good as new now.