10 Incredible Tendonitis Home Remedies You Should Know

10 Incredible Tendonitis Home Remedies You Should Know

Here you will find the most common home remedies for tendonitis. Even if it is sometimes difficult to find the right home remedy, sometimes it is not that far away. You already have most of the home remedies in your household, as the name suggests.

Like simple muscle soreness from overuse, tendinitis – inflammation in or around a tendon – can be painful. But where simple muscle soreness is temporary, tendonitis is persistent. It's a sore muscle that won't go away with a few hours of rest and an ice pack. Tendon injuries are often related to problems with the underlying tendon before the injury, says Terry Malone, EdD. With each additional injury, the tendon's recovery becomes more limited and the risk of further injury increases. “We never really go back to normal after the initial injury, which is why doctors often use the word tendinosis (a degenerative process) instead of tendinitis (an inflammatory process),” Malone explains.

The situation is not hopeless. But if you continue to use the tendon in the same repetitive motion that caused the problem in the first place, it will be very difficult to get better. This applies to everyone from world-class marathon runners to window cleaners and typists. However, it is possible to reduce the effects of tendonitis and prevent severe flare-ups. The key is to open your mind and change some of your old behaviors. Read on for tendinitis remedies.

Get some rest

This is difficult for some people. But a runner with Achilles tendonitis, for example, can't realistically expect improvement unless they stop pounding for at least a few days. Try reducing your mileage—or replacing it with non-weight-bearing activities like swimming or upper-body training, as long as they don't make the pain worse. Avoid walking or running uphill because this increases the stretch of the tendon, irritating and weakening it, says Teresa Schuemann, PT, SCS, ATC, CSCS. Regular calf stretches can help prevent Achilles tendonitis, says Michael J. Mueller, PT, PhD.

When you return to walking, keep the foot in a neutral position by staying on flat surfaces and gradually increase your distance and intensity. Of course, resting is easier said than done when the activity that triggers your tendonitis is part of your work. If you have work-related tendonitis, it might not be a bad idea to set aside a day or two of vacation for those tendonitis flare-ups. (Here are solutions to your 10 biggest walking pains.)

But don't give him a break for too long
Inactivity can worsen mild musculoskeletal pain by preventing blood flow to the area. And when you stop exercising and start bulking, the extra weight will put more strain on your musculoskeletal system. Reduce the intensity of your workouts, but not the frequency, says Dr. Willibald Nagler.

If anything, you'll want to exercise more regularly to condition all of your muscle groups and prevent them from becoming even stiffer. Better to do some conditioning every day than heroically once a week, says Nagler. Daily stretching, for example, makes muscles more flexible and gives them the same properties they had when they were younger, when they were more resilient.

Make a change

If your tendinitis is stress-related, a new form of exercise may be just what your inflamed tendon needs. For example, if you're a runner with tendon problems in your lower legs, you can stay on the road when you're ready to get on a bike, which will still give you a good hamstring workout.

Have a relaxing bath

Taking a whirlpool bath or simply soaking in warm bath water is a great way to increase body temperature and stimulate blood circulation. Warming the tendon before stressful activities reduces the pain associated with tendonitis.

Ice

For severe tendonitis, limit or stop your activity and apply cold packs to the injured area for 15 to 20 minutes up to three or four times a day to reduce inflammation and pain, says Mueller. In general, ice is helpful after exercise to control both swelling and pain. However, people with heart disease, diabetes, or vascular problems should be careful about using ice because the cold constricts blood vessels and can cause serious problems.

Association

Another alternative to reduce swelling is to wrap your pain in an elastic bandage. Just be careful not to wrap the inflamed area too tightly or leave the area wrapped for so long that it becomes uncomfortable or reduces circulation

Height

Elevating the affected area above heart level is also good for controlling swelling

Over-the-counter medications

Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen (Aleve)—over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications—are effective temporary pain relievers for tendinitis. They also reduce inflammation and swelling, says Malone.

Warm up first

There's more to warming up than just the temperature, says Malone. Always perform slow and controlled actions before performing faster actions. “We want to increase the temperature, but also stretch the muscle-tendon unit into the range of motion required for the activity,” he explains. This minimizes the chance of injury and helps you stay safe during exercise.

The idea is to increase the temperature (often just general, low-level exercises), then stretch, and then gradually progress into the activities. “Interestingly, some recent data suggests that significant stretching just before performance can actually reduce maximal performance levels,” says Malone. But don't skip stretching entirely. Some studies show that people who are less flexible are more prone to tendonitis. So stretching should be an integral part of your routine. (Try these 6 stretches if you sit all day.)

Take breaks from work

A simple way to at least temporarily reduce physical stress at work is to take frequent breaks and move, stretch, or at least change positions. Tendonitis can easily develop when you work in an awkward position, especially in the arms or wrists when working at a keyboard all day.

When to Call a Doctor for Tendonitis

If you only feel the pain of tendonitis during or after exercise and it's not too bad, you might think that you could run a race or swim laps with the same pain - if you had to. Or maybe you already have it. In any case, it would be advisable to reorient your thinking. Avoid pain unless your doctor or physical therapist tells you otherwise. If the pain is severe and you continue to abuse the tendon, it may rupture. That could mean a long layoff, surgery, or even permanent disability. In other words, exercising despite tendon pain today could mean staying on the sidelines for the rest of your morning. To be on the safe side, retreat if you are in pain and seek medical attention if your pain persists.

The following articles may also help you as they look at the same topic from a different light:

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