Tendonosis

Tendonosis is a condition of tendons in which the tendon is degenerative. Many people confuse tendonosis with tendonitis, because both are disorders of the tendons.

The difference between tendonitis and tendonosis is subtle, but the difference between tendonitis and tendonosis is important. While tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendon, tendonosis is the degeneration of the tendon.

Inflammation of the tendons is fairly simple to cure. If you have tendonitis, you should take anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen or aspirin and you should ice the area around the tendons when it is especially inflamed.

Combined with rest, an anti-inflammatory medicine and ice should bring a tendon afflicted with tendonitis back to normal within four weeks unless the tendonitis has been present for a long time. If the tendonitis has been present for a very long time, it might take up to six weeks for the tendonitis to go away. If treatment for tendonitis does not help within six weeks, your problem is probably not inflammation of the tendon, but rather, degeneration of the tendon.

Tendons are similar to the tough strings that you have difficulty cutting through on packing tape. When a tendon that strengthens the cartilage that connects your muscles to your bones begins to degenerate, you begin to feel pain and weakness every time you use the area of the body where the tendon is degenerating.

You can do a few things to make tendonosis better. First, do not stop using the tendon because of discomfort. Use the tendon as much as is possible without injuring it further. Second, use ice massage on the affected area. Third, utilize physical therapy to increase the productivity of the tendon and last but not least, get friction massage for the area of the affected tendon.

While friction massage goes against the grain of the tendon and it actually hurts to have it performed, it is the most important part of healing tendonosis.