Tendonitis

What do you do when you have "the itis?" Not the "itis" after you eat a lot but the kind that occurs in any tendon throughout your body and is a constant reminder that it is problematic. Basically, tendonitis is an observation by a medical professional that there is pain and swelling... it's just the diagnosis that sounds scary. Using the irritated tendon excessively is a reason for it to flare up but what's more debilitating is using it in an improper manner, making tendonitis an alignment issue at heart. Tendonitis is the warning signal that something is not functioning properly but when it is ignored, it can become an S.O.S for bigger problems. Many times, the issue relates back to the core. For example, if you have tennis elbow the problem may be in the shoulder. If you have patellar tendonitis (knee), it may be from dysfunction in the hip.

So what do you do??

1. Ice can help as an immediate anti-inflammatory especially after activity.

2. Creams and muscle rubs like deep blue from DoTerra, and ibuprofen (if needed) can be an added benefit and reduce pain symptoms to allow for increased mobility. These help you MANAGE pain while you get to the root of the issue.

3. Massage Therapy from an experienced and knowledgeable therapist can effectively relieve tension in the associated and surrounding muscles. This can also make them more receptive for the following therapy.

4. Posture alignment therapy is a scientifically proven therapy to relieve aggravation in the joints and relieve pain. This results from correcting the actual alignment of the joint by reeducating the muscles to function properly. This reduces the inflammation and get things where they need to be to get rid of the symptoms and also prevent it from happening again.

Conclusion

Try not to be discouraged by the name "tendonitis" and realize that your body is sending you a signal. It does not mean you have to stop all activity as long as you do not feel like there is something more serious going on. In that case, it is always best to get checked out by a doctor. Once in the clear of anything major, it may be up to you to be a detective and find how to correct your pain at it's source. Tendonitis is not a disease and you are not broken!