Let's be honest here, I am sure at least a good majority of you all clicked this article because you thought the term tendonitis was related to NSFW. Well, I guess you and I were both wrong to judge.
So, what is Tendonitis?
susie.c on Flickr
Tendonitis (also called Tendinitis) is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon. Or muscle pain, in plain English. At first, this may not seem serious, but you'll be amazed to learn what the symptoms include, and what causes them.
Symptoms and Causes
nanny snowflake on Flickr
The symptoms are as follows, according to Drugs.com:
"Tendonitis causes pain in the tissues surrounding a joint, especially after the joint is used too much during play or work. In some cases, the joint may feel weak, and the area may be red, swollen and warm to the touch."
This basically means that every time you move your arms, legs, feet, hips, you will feel pain. Literally, you will be walking in pain, lasting for a few days, if not a few weeks.
More surprisingly, anyone, including you and I can be affected by tendonitis. Some causes of tendonitis may include strenuous work such as gardening, cleaning the house, painting, skiing and playing tennis.
Well, How Do I Avoid It?
The U.S. Army on Flickr
The causes of tendonitis require you to move your muscles, so prevention measures are simple:
1. Always stretch before doing any physical activities, make sure your body is warmed up before engaging in any rigorous work or sports.
2. If abnormal pain occurs, stop the activity immediately.
3. Be smart, don't follow the motto "No pain, No gain" without thinking. Drugs.com says that "It can be difficult to distinguish between an ache that indicates you're building strength and an ache that means you injured a tendon."
Treatments
Jamiesrabbits on Flickr
Simply avoid rigorous activity when you feel abnormal pain when moving the injured muscle. Putting an ice pack on top of the injury also helps.
However, if your conditions don't improve—or the pain gets worse—you may need to consult your doctor for medication, therapy or surgery. Remember to always stretch before doing any sports, or rigorous physical activity.