Things You Need to Know About Cuff Tendonitis And How You Can Treat It

By Tom Nicholson

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.

Cuff tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendons in the shoulder area. These tendons become inflamed from misuse. Sometimes the tendons can tear. You do not have to be a sports buff to get cuff tendonitis. Sometimes you can injure the tendon by simply turning over in bed or landing on your shoulder when you 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.

Symptoms of chronic cuff tendonitis include shoulder pain that is worse at night, pain that worsens over time, shoulder weakness, and inability to lift the arm out to the side or over the head. Acute cuff tendonitis causes sudden severe pain and muscle spasms. The tendon may bleed and cause bruising.

The damage and severity of cuff tendonitis determines the best type of treatment. You may use pain relievers such as ibuprofen to reduce the symptom of inflammation; you may also use occasional ice pack applications to reduce pain and swelling while you are at home. Tendon tears may require surgical repair, however either of these conditions will require rest so that healing is possible.

You can treat and prevent tendonitis with physical therapy. Strengthening exercises for the rotator cuff muscles may be prescribed. Another thing you should consider is steroids injections into the joint to help relieve swelling and pain so the shoulder regains full range of motion, when the pain of doing exercises is too painful.

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.

The inability to heal properly from cuff tendonitis may lead to bursitis, which is the inflammation of a fluid filled cavity in the shoulder. Bursa works to reduce the friction of the muscles and tendons in the shoulder joints. When the bursa is inflamed, you may suffer from pain as well as a limited range of motion in the arms and shoulders.

You cannot really prevent the condition of cuff tendonitis, however, you can try avoiding repetitive movements that cause tendon strain, while building muscle strength in the shoulder muscles. You should also take care not to land on the shoulder while falling as you play sports.

Generally, cuff tendonitis is not serious; however, it can prove to be painful and annoying. Unless the pain is continual and severe, you can treat it at home; otherwise, you should consult with a medical professional. - 30453

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