Things You Should Know About Cuff Tendonitis And How You Can Treat It
Rotator cuff tendonitis is a fairly common sports injury, especially in people over 40. For that reason, cuff tendonitis is also known as tennis shoulder, swimmer’s shoulder, and pitcher’s shoulder. The condition is often the result of repetitive movement of the arm over the head like when pitching baseball.
The inflammation of shoulder tendons is cuff tendonitis and these tendons may become irritated and inflamed from misuse or overuse. Tendons may sometimes tear; you do not have to be a sports extremist to have cuff tendonitis. You can sometimes injure these tendons by turning over while sleeping or even landing on the shoulder during a fall.
Cuff tendonitis may be classifiable as chronic or acute. Repetitive overhead activities may cause the development of chronic tendonitis over the years, such as the movements of athletes and weightlifters. Injuries that over stretches, tears or rupture the shoulder tendons may result in acute tendonitis.
A general weakness of the area, intensifying pain, intense nightly pain while resting as well as the inability of lifting the arm over the head or out to the side are all symptoms of chronic cuff tendonitis. Acute cuff tendonitis may result in muscle spasms and severe pain. Bruising can occur when the tendons bleed.
Treatment for cuff tendonitis depends upon how severe the damage is. You may be able to treat the injury at home by using ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and ice packs to relieve pain and swelling. Tears in the tendon may require surgical repair. In either case, the tendon must be allowed to rest in order to heal.
Physical therapy is used to treat tendonitis and to help prevent it from recurring. Exercises are prescribed that strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. If pain is too severe to do the exercises, steroids may be injected into the joint to help relieve swelling and pain so the shoulder regains full range of motion.
The various forms of treatment for cuff tendonitis are generally effective. Most people regain normal use of their arm and shoulder and are able to resume the activities engaged in before the injury. Severe tendon tears and injuries in older people take longer to heal.
Cuff tendonitis that is not allowed to heal properly can lead to bursitis, which is an inflammation of the fluid filled cavity of the shoulder. The function of the bursa is to lessen friction from moving tendons and muscles in the shoulder joint. When the bursa becomes inflamed, you will experience pain and limited arm movement.
Cuff tendonitis is not something that you can prevent, although you should avoid any repetitive movement that may cause tendon strain. Take the time to build the strength in the muscles of the shoulder. Be careful not to land on your shoulder while playing sports or taking a misfortunate falls.
Luckily, most of the time, cuff tendonitis is not serious although it may be painful and annoying. Many times, it can be treated at home. However, you should call your doctor if your shoulder pain is severe or persistent.
Tom Nicholson spends his time caring for sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. You can click here to learn more regardingcuff tendonitis.
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