Tendonitis

About Knee Tendonitis
The ending of the word “itis” is defined as inflammation. Therefore, tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon, which connects muscles to bones. Commonly, the tendon that connects your quadriceps muscle to the tibia bone (quadriceps tendon above the kneecap and patellar ligament below the kneecap) can become inflamed resulting in a condition also known as jumper’s knee. This thick tendon runs over the top of your kneecap and attaches to the tibia bone below. This structure can often become inflamed due to abnormal joint movements, poor posture and weakness of the surrounding musculature. This causes strain to the tendon with resulting pain during repetitive movement and especially with squatting or kneeling down. Other areas of tendonitis in the knee can occur such as the back, outside or inside of the knee.

What is Bursitis / Tendonitis?
A bursa is a fluid filled sac that sits between muscles or tissues to cushion and reduce friction. In the shoulder there is a rather large bursa between the deltoid muscle and joint. This is called the sub-deltoid bursa. This bursa can often become inflamed due to abnormal joint movements, poor posture and weakness of the surrounding musculature. This causes strain to the tissues and excessive friction on the bursa. People tend to feel pain with movement and especially movement out to the side or reaching behind them.

In the shoulder common areas for tendonitis are in the rotator cuff tendons (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis) and bicep tendons. Pain can be felt deep in the shoulder or in the front of the shoulder. Pain is usually felt as a sharp, catching sensation with certain movements.

What is Achilles Tendonitis?
Achilles tendonitis is an inflammation of the Achilles tendon that attaches your calf muscle to the back of your heel. Achilles tendonitis is typically caused by tightness in the hamstrings and calf muscles. In addition, limitations in ankle and foot range of motion can alter your walking pattern, putting excessive strain on the Achilles tendon, causing tendonitis.

Typically, the back of the ankle and heel is very painful to touch, especially after prolonged walking. Rest tends to help Achilles tendonitis while walking aggravates it.

How physiotherapy helps
Physiotherapy is the first line in conservative treatment for tendonitis. Most tendonitis is due to underlying abnormal mechanics of movement and weakness. Our trained physiotherapists are experts in evaluating your movement to pinpoint the source of the trouble. Modalities may be used to alleviate pain and discomfort, while hands-on therapy improves joint mechanics and movement.

Finally, gentle strengthening exercises and joint coordination exercises help to restore stability to the affected area and prevent re-occurrence of symptoms. To discover how we can help your tendonitis call Kinetesis Spine & Joint Clinic today!