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Tendon disease causes pain, swelling, and decreased range of motion. Tendonitis affects unsheathed tendons, while tenosynovitis affects sheathed tendons. Common areas of tendon disease include the shoulder, upper arm, wrist, thumb joint, and ankle. Overuse of repetitive motion is the main cause. Home treatment includes rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Medical treatment may be necessary, including surgery, casting, and physical therapy.
Tendons are the thick, fibrous tissues that connect muscles to nearby body parts, usually bones, and help with range of motion. Tendon disease causes tendons to malfunction, which is typically indicated by pain, swelling in the area, and decreased range of motion. Some tendons are covered with sheaths; some are not. The two main types of tendon disease are tendonitis, or inflammation of the tendon itself, which affects unsheathed tendons, and tenosynovitis, inflammation of the tendon sheath, which affects sheathed tendons.
Tendon disease can affect any joint in the body. Common areas of tendon disease in the upper body include: rotator cuff tendonitis, which affects the shoulder; biceps tendonitis, which affects the upper arm; lateral epicondylitis, otherwise known as tennis elbow; flexor or extensor tendonitis or tenosynovitis, each of which affects the wrist; de Quervain’s disease – sometimes called DeQuervain’s disease – which affects the thumb joint; and Dupruytren’s contracture, which affects the palm of the hand. The most common tendon diseases that affect the lower body include illotitialis tendonitis, which affects the hip, patellar tendonitis, which affects the knee and is sometimes called jumper’s knee, and peroneal tendonitis of the ankle.
For unsheathed tendons, tendonitis occurs when the tendon begins to tear, usually from overuse of repetitive motion, causing the tendon to become inflamed. Sheathed tendon tenosynovitis, also most often the product of overuse of repetitive motion, occurs when the synovial fluid that lubricates the tendon sheath fails. Sometimes the body does not make enough synovial fluid or produces poor quality synovial fluid. This allows for friction between the tendon and the sheath, leading to swelling and thickening of the tendon which impairs proper function.
Bursitis is not a tendon disease per se, but it does affect the health of the tendon. Bursitis occurs when bursae, or fluid-filled sacs between the skin and tendons, become inflamed due to overuse of repetitive motions, overexertion, or improper ergonomic posture. The most common sites where bursitis occurs are the shoulders, elbows, and hips.
Home treatment for tendon disease includes resting the affected joint, applying ice to the affected joint, compressing or wrapping the joint with an elastic bandage, and elevating the affected joint above of the heart level. When home treatment fails to produce a reduction in symptoms, medical treatment may be necessary and could, depending on the nature of the tendon disease, involve surgery, casting, and physical therapy.
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