Tendon inflammation

A tendon inflammation is a reaction of the tendon to overuse. The tendon becomes irritated and thickens. Movement becomes more difficult and is painful. The medical term for tendon inflammation is tendinitis.

Nowadays, all tendon complaints fall under the umbrella term tendinopathy. Tendinopathy literally means disease (pathy) of the tendon (tendo). The terms tendon inflammation and tendinitis are no longer used by every specialist.

What is tendon inflammation?

A tendon is the extension of a muscle and attaches to bone. Tendons can withstand large tensile forces. Nevertheless, it is common for overuse of the muscle to result in irritation/inflammation of the tendon.

A tendon inflammation is a typical overuse injury, although it is often the case that the overuse is the result of reduced load tolerance of the relevant muscles or tendons.

What complaints and symptoms does a tendon inflammation cause?

A tendon inflammation can be recognized by typical complaints such as pain, warmth, redness, difficulty moving, and swelling.

A tendon complaint that occurs frequently and is (incorrectly) confused with tendinopathy is tendinosis. The main difference is that this term refers to degeneration (decline in quality) of the tendon. In general this is without inflammatory signs.

How does a tendon inflammation arise?

There are several causes of a tendon inflammation. As mentioned, a sudden or prolonged overuse is the biggest cause. Long-term underuse also disrupts the balance between load and load tolerance and can thus cause overuse.

There are also several factors that increase the risk of a tendon inflammation:

• People over 40 years of age or people who are overweight are more likely to develop a tendon inflammation because there is more tension on muscles and tendons.
• With a leg length difference or a foot abnormality, the tension on the tendons is increased, possibly resulting in a tendon inflammation.

Where does a tendon inflammation occur most often?

Mainly the tendons around the shoulders, elbows, and knees are susceptible to inflammatory reactions. The joints in the body where tendon inflammations are most often seen are the shoulder, elbow, knee, wrist, hip, and ankle.