What are the symptoms of tendonitis?
The most common symptoms of tendonitis include:
- Pain at the site of your tendon and the surrounding area. This pain can get worse when you move.
- Stiff joints or difficulty moving your joints.
- Hearing and feeling a cracking or popping sensation when you move.
- Swelling, often with skin discoloration (red to purple or darker than your natural skin tone).
The pain you feel with tendonitis may be gradual or sudden and severe, especially if you have calcium deposits. Calcium deposits are a buildup of calcium in your tissues that looks like firm white to yellow bumps on your skin. These bumps can cause itchy skin.
Where on my body will I have symptoms of tendonitis?
Tendinitis can occur in almost any area of your body where a tendon connects a bone to a muscle. The most common places are:
- Base of your thumb.
- Elbow, usually along the outer part of the forearm, when your palm is facing up, near where the tendon attaches to the outside part of the elbow.
- Shoulder.
- Hip.
- Knee, usually below the kneecap where your tendon attaches to your lower leg (tibia).
- Achilles tendon, which connects your calf muscles to your heel bone.
What causes tendonitis?
Causes of tendonitis could include:
- Overuse or repetitive movements over time (like running or throwing).
- Strain from sudden movements.
- An injury.
In addition, tendonitis could be a side effect of a medication, including statins or drugs that lower cholesterol or fluoroquinolone antibiotics.
Certain underlying medical conditions can also cause tendonitis, such as:
- Diabetes.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
- Gout/pseudo gout.
- Osteoarthritis.
- An infection.
What are the risk factors for tendonitis?
Anyone can get tendonitis. But it’s more common in those who do repetitive activities. Some of these activities include:
- Gardening/landscaping.
- Woodworking.
- Shoveling.
- Painting.
- Scrubbing.
- Playing sports like tennis, golf or baseball.
Other risk factors for tendonitis include:
- Poor posture.
- Presence of certain conditions that can weaken your muscles.
- Your age. After age 40, your tendons tolerate less stress, are less elastic and tear more easily.
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What are the complications of tendonitis?
If left untreated, tendonitis could lead to:
- Chronic tendonitis (a constant, dull pain when you move).
- Difficulty or inability to move the affected part of your body.
- Torn tendons (tendon rupture).
- Muscle weakness.
