N E W S L E T T E R
TENDONITIS & SPORTS KEEPING THE PAIN AWAY FROM YOUR GAME
Athletes are naturally at an increased risk for experiencing injuries. This is not as a result of any particular health issue that athletes typically have in common. Instead, it is a simple exposure equation. The more frequently you push yourself to try new things, to engage in physical activity, or to push yourself to reach a new goal, the more you are going to increase your risk for potential injury. On more days than not, the injury won’t happen, but as every athlete knows, it only takes one bad day — one day when fatigue throws off your form just enough to cause your gait to be off, for you to feel a little distracted and not realize an obstacle is coming up, or just a fluke of a moment in which something goes wrong and you go down. What makes matters worse is the fact that many athletes attempt to push past the pain of their initial injuries, which often leads to those injuries becoming more severe. Working with a physical therapist is especially important for athletes for this reason. A physical therapist can help identify potential issues with posture or form that may increase your risk for injury, help identify potential injuries as they develop, and assess the severity of and best treatment options for those injuries as soon as possible, so you always know exactly what your body needs to feel at its best. Understanding Tendonitis While there are some sports injuries that happen after a bad day, there are others that develop over time. Tendonitis is an incredibly common issue that causes pain to develop in the joints. This can impact the hips, knees, elbows or shoulders. Pain caused by tendonitis can impact everyday activities, making it exceedingly difficult to remain comfortable day to day or to remain active. Tendonitis can make simple activities such as picking up a gallon of milk or attempting to put something away on a shelf over your head incredibly painful and challenging. Unfortunately, when tendonitis
develops, it often sticks around. This means that pain that begins as frustrating and seemingly minor can quickly become chronic and incredibly painful. Working with a physical therapist is the best way to address tendonitis pain early on, to improve range of motion and reduce the severity of your pain without having to turn to pain medications. What is Tendonitis? Tendonitis is a common issue among athletes because it develops as a result of overuse. While the average person may engage in standard physical tasks such as walking or typing, an athlete takes that repetitive behavior to a new level. Consider a tennis player, for example. In addition to running and jumping, a skilled tennis player will spend hours every week swinging the racket, and this could result in added wear and tear on the elbows and wrists, not to mention the shoulders. Every bone in the body is connected with muscular fibers called tendons. The tendons are flexible, allowing the body to move more freely by letting bones stretch apart or move in one direction or another. Tendonitis occurs when the tendons become inflamed. Swelling in the tendons can make movement painful and difficult. Typically, when pain is caused as a result of tendonitis, the pain is isolated at the noted areas of the body. This means that a tennis player may experience tendonitis in the elbow or shoulder, whereas a runner may be more likely to experience it in the Achilles tendon. In fact, this is why tendonitis in the elbow is frequently referred to as tennis elbow, while Achilles tendonitis is sometimes referred to as runner’s ankles or runner’s heels. Contact us today at 773.799.2795 for more information about how we can help restore your body and prevent it from future injury. Visit our website at thefitinstitutechicago.com to learnmore about our services.
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