tell me your tendinopathy stories please

canadianlbs

or tendonitis, tendonisis . . . whatever you had. what helped? what hurt? and what happened, if you've had it for long enough.

inb4 those who are [almost definitely] going to say this: i have seen a doctor, and i've been given some drills. what i'm asking for is a conversation that can help me set context round it, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. so if you're thinking of posting just to tell me to do what i've already just done, then please don't. it'll just get both of us cranky. thanks.

sgt1372

Have gotten tendonitis a couple of times doing a pushup, pullup & dip (PPD) routine:

4x25 or 5x20 decline pushups w/feet 20" above hands;

5x10 neutral hand pullups using a swiss bar mounted to the top of my rack; and

5x15 dips.

Did this every other day 3x/week w/& w/o wearing a weighted vest w/25# in it.

Developed tendonitis in both elbows the first time and then developed tendonitis only in the right elbow next.

The only solution was complete rest; no use of the elbows doing any upper body lifting or PPD.

Took 2 months of rest the 1st time for the pain to go away.

Took 3 months the 2nd time and have started doing upper body lifts again but still haven't gone back to doing the full PPD routine yet because the pain flares up in the rt elbow each time I try it.

Was prescribed a non-steroidal topical ointment which helps a bit and have an ortho appt scheduled to assess the rt elbow next month.

jemhh

I developed Achilles tendonitis two summers ago. It wasn't debilitating but came on suddenly and made it painful to walk downhill and impossible wear heels. It was a shooting pain across the back of my ankle.

I did physical therapy for 4-6 weeks. It went away after that. I keep up with many of the exercises still as the pain sometimes returns if I stop doing them for awhile.

I never stopped lifting through it. My doctor and physical therapist both said as long as the pain wasn't too bad I didn't have to. It didn't hurt while lifting so I just kept at it.

canadianlbs

thanks, both of you. i was told to do nothing that aggravates mine for two months, which includes lifting of pretty much any kind. but i have drills that at least mean i can spend two months giving some focused love to the weak muscles in my left leg.

jemhh

What kind of tendinitis do you have?

wildthingsmom

right elbow for me. Ortho said to rest it and listen to my body. I do a lot of pushups and tricep pushups in the classes I do. The problem is I don't want to take however long it will take for it to totally heal. So I take advil when I have flare ups.. both for pain and inflammation. When it gets bad enough I imagine I'll take that time off..

mxchana

Acupuncture. Tendinitis in arms & fingers and ultimately a painful trigger thumb. Tried every type of traditional treatment, short of surgery. None of it helped and some of it actually made it worse. After two years of suffering I gave in to friends' suggestions to try acupuncture. After the first session I could move my thumb normally for the first time in 18 months. After a few hours the effects wore off. After the second session I was actually a bit worse. After the third session, completely pain free and moving all fingers and even the trigger thumb, completely normally. I did go back for a fourth session "just in case." But I was cured. That was six years ago and no problems since. As a professional pianist I am grateful I gave acupuncture a try.

cwolfman13

Posterior tibial tendinitis in both feet, but more pronounced in my right foot. I went to see a podiatrist and had an MRI to confirm there was no rupture. I have to watch what kind of activities I do (one of the reasons I'm not a runner) and I perform at home PT regularly. My podiatrist made molds of my feet and had custom orthopedic inserts made which has helped a lot as my tendinitis is largely a result of very high arches putting a lot of strain on the posterior tibial tendons which help hold up the arch.

I've also had tennis elbow a couple of times...haven't had it in awhile...as I recall, it was mostly a matter of rest.

canadianlbs

jemhh wrote: »

What kind of tendinitis do you have?

well, technically the word i've been given was tendinopathy of the left glute med and hamstring, not tendinitis. but don't ask me the guy's grounds for that diagnosis because i didn't have enough info myself to ask about it at the time. i thiiiiiiink he said duration was one of the factors. and he called it an 'overuse injury', which i can't argue with.

i'd be sulking about not having more detailed info except that so far i've got no complaints about the management track that he's put me on. i have to say that my rheumatologist told me years ago how she differentiates tendon pain from muscles or joints, and i've been smacking myself in the head for a week. because d'oh, now that i think about it it does fit for what's going on with this hip.