All Kinds of Tendonitis
What You REALLY Need To Know

Tendonitis isn't what you've been told it is.

Yes, technically it's 'inflammation of a tendon'. But so what?

Why is there inflammation? How did you -really- get inflamed?

People with tendon pain usually complain of pain in the tendon or a 'tight' tendon.

Again, WHY? Why is the tendon tight? Why does the tendon hurt?

If you're one of those people who have hurt for a long time and nothing has really helped, you need to know the answers to these kinds of questions.

What Is Tendonitis?

If you're like me, you don't really care -what- it is. You just want to make the pain go away.

Good news/bad news, it doesn't work that way.

You NEED to know the mechanics of Tendonitis. At the very least, you need to understand some basic concepts about

** How you got it

** Why it won't go away

** Why all those other things you've tried didn't work

Once you understand that, it's simple to make Tendonitis go away. It will take some time and effort, but there will be no mystery about it any more.

And you can use what you learn to stay pain free for life.

Make sure to read the What Is Tendonitis? page.

On that page you will see links to two VERY important concepts:

The Pain Causing Dynamic, which is the mechanism of a Downward Spiral of ever increasing tightness and pain.

The Process of Inflammation. This process is there before you feel any pain, it's part of what keeps pain in place, and it's what can cause you disabling pain and limitation.

It is also valuble to understand that There Are Two Types of tendon irritation and inflammation. One with damage, one without.

Both can be debilitating.

Also, do know that it doesn't particularly matter whether you have acute or Chronic Tendonitis. It's the same dynamic, one is just new and amped up at the moment. (Though 'acute' can also mean 'old but currently really really painful')

Tendon Treatments

There are MANY treatments, including Tendonitis Surgery.

Rest, splints and braces, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain killers, physical therapy, iontophoresis, shock wave therapy, various forms of manual therapy, and then surgery when all of that fails to fix the problem.

Click the link below to find out which are the most common, and why they are doomed to fail.

Don't get me wrong, some people get results. Admittedly I'm biased, as I work with the people that DON'T get results from everything their doctor has prescribed them.

See: Tendonitis Treatments

Also know that Torn Tendons will cause Tendonitis, and vice versa.

Types Of Tendonitis

There are many different types of Tendonitis, but the difference is mostly location.

What you really need to know is that Tendonitis is Tendonitis. It's all the same, just located in different parts of the body.

Having said that, each has a different personality due to it's location and structural use. But the DYNAMIC is exactly the same.

Achilles Pain

Achilles Tendonitis is generally not a problem of the Tendon per se. The tendon is where pain ENDS UP. Not where it starts from.

Doctors treat the painful Achilles spot with surgery. But that doesn't actually fix the CAUSE of the problem.

Click the link to find out why you really get Achilles Tendonitis.

Ankle Tendonitis is not really a problem at the ankle (unless it's a specific ligament or ankle joint problem).

Bicep Pain

Bicep problem shows up at either the upper attachment at the shoulder, or down at/below the elbow.

If you can't straighten your elbow, go here: Inner Elbow Pain, Can't Straighten Arm

Remember, it's all the same dynamic. Muscles stuck too tight, connective tissue shrunk wrapped, and the nervous system freaking out and causing inflammation.

For more on the Bicep topic, go here: Bicep Tendinitis

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome considered to be Tendonitis? Not by many.

But it is. It's all the same dynamic of tightness and constriction. This squeezes the nerve and causes Carpal Tunnel Symptoms. Surgery often fails because it focuses on the wrist, which is not necessarily where the constriction at the carpal tunnel is coming FROM.

And guess what? Those symptoms of pain and numbness and tingling in the hand can come from up at the neck too (which is another major reason that Carpal Tunnel Surgery fails so often).

For more information on Carpal Tunnel, go here: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Dequervains Tendonitis (Thumb)

Thumb pain is nearly almost always considered to be Thumb Tendonitis. BAD thumb tendonitis is diagnosed as Dequervain's Tendonitis.

People get spooked by the name, like it's a disease of some kind. But it's just a pain dynamic in the thumb, nothing to be worried about.

Even though pain is in the thumb, one must pay attention to the structures in the forearm as well, as they connect to the thumb.

Pain From Playing Guitar

Pain and tightness in the forearm, wrist, hand, and fingers. Players usually don't stop until it's debilitating, which means it takes extra effort to reverse the problem.

For the record, it's totally reversible.

The guitar playing mechanic looks like Wrist Tendinitis, but has a deep-in-the-forearm aspect that doesn't show up in, say, computer users.

For more information about tendon pain issues from playing guitar, click here: Guitar Tendonitis

Hamstring Pain

Runners, sprinters, athletes and those with athletic jobs get become unable to do their thing if hamstring pain becomes an issue.

Maybe you have a hamstring injury, maybe you just have hamstring pain and no injury. It can feel exactly the same.

For more information about hamstring tendon pain, click here: Hamstring Tendonitis

Heel Tendonitis

There really is no such thing as heel tendonitis, but the heel can hurt (and badly) for many different tendinitis related reasons. 

For more information click here:  Heel Tendonitis

Tendonitis Lower Back

We don't usually call back pain 'Tendonitis', but Tendonitis it is. And like all tendonitis, it follows a pattern. Low back Tendonitis is most common, so that's what we'll talk about, and how it leads to disc issues like bulging disc and ruptured disc back pain.

Levaquin and Cipro

BAD NEWS. Fluoroquinolone class antibiotics like Levaquin and Cipro cause cytotoxic damage to connective tissue. This can (and does) result in complete Achilles rupture while you're laying there in bed after even a single dose.

Connective tissue damage also commonly shows up in the shoulder, hip, knee, and overall muscle pain. And tendons literally just falling apart as you're walking around the house.

For more information click here: Levaquin Tendonitis or Cipro Tendonitis

Patellar Knee Pain

This is usually more of an IRRITATION than actual damage and scar tissue build up. Imbalance in muscles in the hip is the primary cause. If one does the right exercie(s), even just once or twice, it's not uncommon for the pain to disappear almost instantly.

'Squeaky Knees' can also be involved.

For more information, click here: Patellar Tendonitis 

See also:  Knee Tendonitis

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is a Tendinitis dynamic in the feet. Foot pain, ankle pain, heel pain, foot arch pain, etc. This can be as mild as limping for the first few steps when getting out of bed, or as severe as not being able to put any weight on the feet.

Everybody, including you up to now, have thought you have a foot problem. You don't. Well, you do, but that's not the SOURCE of the problem.

For more information, click here: Plantar Fasciitis

Shin Splints

Shin splints.  Yeah, that hurts.  Running, soccer, workplace standing/walking.   

For more information pain in the tibialis anterior region of the lower leg, click here:  Shin Splints

Shoulder Pain

This can come from one or more of the Shoulder Cuff structures (muscle and connective tissue). The shoulder moves in a variety of directions, and gets restricted in many of them due to years of poor posture, improper use, etc.

The shoulder is harder to work on yourself, as it's tough to reach, but it's doable if you're motivated.

For more information, click here: Shoulder Tendonitis

Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow

Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow is the exact same thing, just on different sides of the forearm. I have created a DVD, The Tennis Elbow Treatment That Works. I didn't do one for Golfer's Elbow because, well, it would be the exact same thing with a change of label.

The important thing to know is that Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow is NOT just a problem with the tendon. It's a problem of the entire forearm structure.

And muscle weakness and fatigue that can come with Tennis Elbow is just a function of muscles ALREADY being so contracted that they just don't have much contraction left. So no need to worry about it (unless you have some medical condition going on).

For more information, go to What Is Tennis Elbow?.

Trigger Finger

Tendon problem? Yes.

Caused by tight muscles and constrictive connective tissue and inflammation? Yes.

Granted, Trigger Finger can also be caused by nutritional issues.

So it's important to look at all the factors to see what's going on.

Depending on how 'bad' the build up is on/around the knuckles, it can be reversed, some, mostly, or all.

For more information, click here: Trigger Finger

Whiplash

The injury from a whiplash trauma, can hang on for years and decades, because of the way it heals. Even when the actual damage has 'healed', scar tissue lays down but the nervous system continues to read it as an injury.

This helps keep muscles TOO TIGHT, connective tissue to continue to shrink tighter and tighter, and for all the tissue to get dry and crunchy, which then causes more TINY microtrauma over time, which keeps the whole thing invisibly getting worse and worse.

Think you're fine years after a car accident? You certainly might be, but what's your range of motion? What would it feel like I poked a finger into the tissue of your neck?

Chances are you're range is limited, and that various spots and layers of your neck are TENDER.

Did you know that you can work on yourself and rehabilitate your whiplash problem at home? (Just like you can for every kind of Tendinitis.)

For more information on Whiplash, click here: Whiplash

Wrist Tendonitis

Tendon pain in the wrist comes from the forearm structures.

Even if you have some wear and tear tendon damage, you'll find that that's not really the problem. The problem is due to the CONSTANT tension on the wrist tendons and connective tissue from the TOO TIGHT muscles and connective tissue in your forearms.

All that popping and clicking when you move? It's because your joint is being held too tight and can't glide like it's supposed to, and the compression causes the noise. From grinding, basically.

For more information, click here:  Wrist Tendonitis

Lipoma and Ganglion Cyst can show up when the some of the factors of wrist tendonitis are at play.

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