There are lots of things that your primary care doctor is probably mistaken about when it comes to tendonitis/tendonosis. Most currently practicing medical doctors were taught, and many still believe, that patients who present with overuse tendinitis have a largely inflammatory condition and will benefit from anti-inflammatory medication. Doctors often prescribe NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) such as ibuprofen, because they believe that tendonitis occurs as a result of inflammation. Unfortunately, this belief is deeply entrenched. Ten of eleven readily available sports medicine texts specifically recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for treating painful conditions like Achilles and patellar tendinitis despite the lack of a biological rationale or clinical evidence for this approach. ¹ ²
To understand why the diagnoses of tendonitisis incorrect, it is important to first understand the word itself. Tendons connect muscles to bones while –itisrefers to an inflammatory process. A patient might very well have inflammation of their tendon due to overuse. However, taking a pill won’t do much to alleviate the issue. The diagnoses of tendonitis ignores the fact that both the bone and the muscle are also involved in the issue. Why is the tendon inflamed? Is the bone out of place, thereby pulling on the tendon and the muscle? Is the muscle strained, causing the tendon to pull on the bone? At Align Chiropractic Center, we seek to answer these questions and find the cause of the pain. The signal of pain from the body is an indicator that something is wrong. If we ignore that signal by dampening it with ibuprofen, the underlying problem is likely to become worse. I often ask my patients, “if your oil light in your car came on, would you unscrew it or would you replace the oil?” Ignoring pain is like unscrewing the oil light.
Rest and cessation of movement are also commonly prescribed for tendonitis. While this may lead to less pain while you're resting, this isn't really a "cure" for your condition. If you don't get the right kind of help, once you return to the activity you're going to experience the pain all over again. Besides, if you're a professional athlete or sit at your computer all day for a living, can you really afford to take a lot of time off?
At Align Chiropractic Center, we strive to find the root cause of your problem so that we can more effectively treat your pain. We use a balanced, innovative approach to help patients realize a pain-free and productive life. Our goal is to help you get back to doing what you enjoy most.
1. Almekinders LC, Temple JD. Etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of tendonitis: an analysis of the literature. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998;30:1183–1190. [PubMed]
2. Khan KM, Maffulli N. Tendinopathy: an Achilles' heel for athletes and clinicians. Clin J Sport Med. 1998;8:151–154. [PubMed]
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