Chiropractic Care May Help Your Tendonitis
The Natural and Holistic Approach
If you experience a sore, achy shoulder, elbow or knee, you may have tendonitis. Like many injuries, it’s an inflammation usually caused by repetition and you may have heard of it as Tennis elbow, Pitcher’s shoulder, Golfer’s elbow, Jumper’s knee and Swimmer’s shoulder.
It’s a painful condition that if left alone can get worse leading eventually to a ruptured tendon and requiring surgery. In a moment, we’ll look at the symptoms and treatment but first, you may wonder what is a tendon?
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What Is a Tendon?
Tendons are flexible, fibrous and tough bands of tissues that attach and extend from muscles to bones throughout your body. The word tendon was derived from the Latin word tendere and the Greek word teinein which means “to stretch”.
It’s the inflammation of the tendon that’s called tendonitis or tendinitis. There’s a variation on tendonitis called tenosynovitis, this is when the sheath around the tendon is inflamed rather than the tendon itself. And yes, you can have both at the same time.
Common Tendonitis Symptoms
Tendinitis symptoms include pain that gets worse when you move the affected area, you may also experience reduced range of motion, swelling and even a lump in the affected area.
Tendonitis usually starts with you feeling a dull ache after a particular activity. For example, if you’re an avid golfer, you may feel the pain in your elbow after a round of golf. You may next feel pain in the slightest movements and in the worst case scenario, you’re in pain most of the time.
When you treat tendonitis with chiropractic care early on, it can help relieve your pain and prevent it from becoming even worse.
Dr. Jeff McQuaite in a Doylestown chiropractor who will conduct x-rays of the affected area to determine if you do indeed have tendonitis and if so, the scope of the damage. Next, he’ll discuss your medical history with you and recommend a treatment plan for you. This may begin by supporting the affected tendons and ice and elevation to reduce swelling.
As you may know, chiropractic care addresses the cause of the pain and not simply the symptoms. That means, your chiropractor will work with you to find the cause so that you feel better and help heal the problem.
You’ll need regular chiropractic adjustments as that’s how your body maintains alignment and your chiropractor may recommend massage to help relieve the pain.
Chiropractic care is beneficial to your whole body. Chiropractor also may treat scar tissue with ultrasound which involves using sound waves to soften the scar tissue, enabling it to break down.
Conclusion
You can prevent tendonitis by properly warming up and cooling down. Also, it’s a good idea to vary your activities so that you’re not always using the same muscles in the same ways.
However, if you do prefer one primary activity such as golfing or running, including regular chiropractic treatments in your schedule can help you prevent injury. If you’re in the Doylestown, Pa area, why not schedule an appointment today? We offer a free consultation and you can find out it treating tendonitis with chiropractic care is right for you.
