Does Tendonitis ever go away?

[Dantilla]

About two years ago I was told I had severe tendonitis in my foot/lower leg.
On crutches for three or four weeks, then slowly getting back to normal levels of activity.

It has been in the background since then, rarely bothering me unless I really overdo it. Back off for a bit, and it goes back into hiding.
Lately, it has been coming back more intensely. True, I've been more active lately, but it's Summer, and I don't want to lay around with my leg elevated.

Do the Pelican brainiacs think there is a real cure, or am I going to keep on managing the activity level to minimize the effects?

[Ferraripete]

my elbow has gotten so bad that sleep has become a thing of the past. I need help from this pain.

[kach22i]

Some reading I did said surgery was the only option, but it was a hospital website specializing in those types of operations.

My chiropractor showed me some helpful stretches to do.

I'm sure a physical therapist would have a few techniques to offer as well.

Perhaps a massage therapist could help as well.

No one is cutting into me, only the body can heal it's self.

[Tobra]

Can you be more specific? What tendon is involved and what are you doing about it?

[masraum]

My experience has been that three things can help.

1 Give it a rest, that usually decreases the discomfort, but it doesn't seem to fix the issue, and you'll just have to be sedentary forever.

2 Diet, yep, changing your diet may help. Cutting way, way down on sugar intake (sugar causes inflamation). I'd done that for a long time and my heel felt better for a year or more. I started eating more sugar (major sweet tooth), and my heel is sore again.

3 Stretching. Stretching is very good for you all around, but also seems to help.

[john70t]

Check out acupuncture.
It loosens the locked up opposing muscles, helps circulation and nerves, and restores L/R U/D balance and gets all those unused micro-muscles moving again.
Also diet, more water, less sugar, cherry juice shots, and bananas.

[rcecale]

"Foot/lower leg", are you sure it's tendonitis? I've been dealing with a pretty severe case of plantars fasciitis the past couple of months, that ***** is he11!!! At times, it felt like a red-hot railroad spike was running from my heel, right up through my ankle. Stretching and a prescription strength anti-inflammatory (Diclofenac) helped, as did sleeping with a night-splint, but real relief came when I started using a SofSole Plantars Fascia insert. Took a day or two to get used to them, but once I did, they were a miracle!



Not sure if this is helpful, hope it is, though!

Randy

[Crowbob]

If you know you'll be working the affected area, spend lots of time warming up, stretching, pace yourself and rest often.

I gave myself epicondylitis (tennis elbow) raking leaves. Nowadays I rake for a minute, rest, rake some more gradually increasing. An anti inflammatory before stressing the tendon also helps. Tendinitis requires rest. What used to be normal activities are now interpreted by my body as abuse. It may never go away especially if you plan on getting older, which is usually the preferred option.

[Cajundaddy]

^^ Trust Tobra, he does this in his day job.

I damaged my achilles tendons with antibiotics several years ago and the full recovery period was around 2 years. Careful, unweighted stretching exercises every morning, cushioned heel pads in my shoes, careful walking without overdoing it (no running), and ibuprofen for pain finally worked. It was a long haul.

[Deschodt]

I've struggled with Plantar fasciatis for years... The achilles is one of the strongest tendons (if not the strongest, I'm not a doctor), and according to my doctor, a lot of bad things happen when it is tight...

Stretching is pretty much the only thing that keeps the feet in check (along with insoles if needed) - and the kicker for me was the kind of stretching as recommended by the specialist... Not your 30 second garden variety, more like 5 minutes at a time, several times a day... Long annoying stretches, making you reach for the phone or a book kinda stretches... The guy does surgery on those (release) but advises me to stick to stretching religiously first. Did the trick for me... As it is I'm still limited to about 2x a week (couple hours each time) of tennis, but part of that is probably that I'm still too fat for my own good... Try !

[kach22i]

Would one of these help tendons out?

Tens Unit - Tens Machine for Pain Management, Back Pain and Rehabilitation
https://www.amazon.com/Tens-Unit-Machine-Management-Rehabilitation/dp/B00NCRE4GO/ref=pd_sbs_121_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41dA7zdegVL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=TCV8BRFC1RE3BG9BJPSS

Electro muscle stimulation for pain management and rehabilitation

[UconnTim97]

Originally Posted by Ferraripete

my elbow has gotten so bad that sleep has become a thing of the past. I need help from this pain.

I had a similar issue earlier this year. I was lucky to get 2-3 hours of sleep at night. My friend suggested a chiropractor. I thought it was odd, but after a few appointments my elbow is pain free.

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by UconnTim97

I had a similar issue earlier this year. I was lucky to get 2-3 hours of sleep at night. My friend suggested a chiropractor. I thought it was odd, but after a few appointments my elbow is pain free.

This is timely. I'm seeing an elbow specialist at So Ca Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) today at 3:00. Both elbows hurt, but the right one is so bad I can't sleep a wink. Two years ago I had cortisone injections in both elbows and it helped for 12-14 months.

I also have chronic patella tendonitis. I raced mountain bikes in the NORBA Series and 12-hours events from from 1990-2011. When the patella tendonitis hit at age 51 I tried to ride through it. I did six months of physical therapy, even taking a full year off the bike. The first day back on an easy ride and it flared right up. I tried prolo-therapy platelet-rich injection therapy, and Iontophoresis. All made me feel better until I got back on a bike. Now at 55, the bikes are gone. I can hike, press a clutch, surf, and paddleboard, but anything that causes impact stress to my knee triggers the tendonitis instantly, and it's just not worth it.

Tendonitis SUCKS! ...so does aging.

[Dantilla]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Can you be more specific? What tendon is involved and what are you doing about it?

While it shows up in a few different ways, most intense is from behind big toe, along the arch towards the heel. Sometimes very sharp, sometimes just like it's buzzing as if it was shocked by a 60 cycle 110v outlet. Comes and goes.

What am I doing:

R I C E without the I

- Arch support.
Inserts in shoes seems to help quite a bit. Where I've typically run around the house in bare feet, I'm now using flip flops with good arches.

-Stretching.
Full range of motion in ankles and feet while prone, bearing no weight,

-Immobilizing/ankle support.
Sometimes using elastic ankle supports/wraps when active, sometimes when at home even using the big, Velcro immobilizing boot I used when on crutches.

Everything off at night so I can flex/stretch to maintain full range of motion.

Icing seems to have no effect.

[Dantilla]

Originally Posted by rcecale

At times, it felt like a red-hot railroad spike was running from my heel,...

The heel on the other side can be quite painful, but I've attributed that to the extra impact it takes when using the Velcro boot, which has such a tall sole that its as if the legs are different lengths. It's a bit awkward walking with soles of differing thicknesses.

When stretching, I work both sides.

[Dantilla]

Originally Posted by Craig T

Now at 55, the bikes are gone. I can hike, press a clutch, surf, and paddleboard, but anything that causes impact stress to my knee triggers the tendonitis instantly, and it's just not worth it.

Interesting. I've had knee issues for years (same side as the tendonitis), but the one place the knee never bothers me is on the bike. Road or mountain bike doesn't matter. Must be that feet on the pedals keeps everything in proper alignment.

[Tobra]

Sounds more like tarsal tunnel syndrome to me, tough to tell how it looks from here though. It is sort of like carpal tunnel, but in your ankle. There is a nerve that runs along the inside of your ankle, right behind the "ankle bone" that can cause symptoms like you describe. As your foot flattens out, the nerve gets squeezed a bit.

Knee problems on the same side you say; have you ever been checked to see if that leg is a little longer than the other one?

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

Interesting. I've had knee issues for years (same side as the tendonitis), but the one place the knee never bothers me is on the bike. Road or mountain bike doesn't matter. Must be that feet on the pedals keeps everything in proper alignment.

The bike is generally the best exercise for the knees. That's what is so frustrating. I paid an olympic cycle trainer for a professional fitting (saddle height, crank length, peddle cleat angle, etc)) and to check my peddle cadence and posture. Nothing helped. It's apparently an "over-use" problem complicated by age.

[Dantilla]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Knee problems on the same side you say;

Had knee surgery while in college. If I remember correctly (probably not), "Osteocondritis Dessicans" or something to that effect, where the bone never grew correctly from early on. Had a divot, kind of like a pothole. Area surgically scraped clean, holes drilled into the bone to promote blood flow, and the "pothole" has been filled with scar tissue.

...and I'm sure Tobra is laughing at this moron's poor understanding and explanation.

[impactbumper]

You might just need better arch support. Also pay attention to how your steps are.

I work out 5 days a week, 1 day of it being cardio only. I ache, hurt a lot. However, most of it muscle soreness. Rest, good diet and ibuprofen helps.

Had similar issues of pain as you described in the past. Changed shoes, and a few weeks later completely gone.