Tendonitis

How do your tendons work?

Your body moves because your muscles are attached to your bones by cable-like structures called tendons. To bend your arm, your bicep muscle (the muscle that you show off by bending your elbow) contracts and pulls on a tendon that is attached to a bone in your forearm. As the tendon pulls on the forearm bone, your arm bends at the elbow. If the tendons are hurt or not working properly, you may experience pain when you bend a joint, such as your elbow or fingers.

How does tendonitis occur?

During ordinary activity, part of a tendon may stretch or become injured. Under normal circumstances, your body will fix the injured tendon. However, if you overwork a tendon faster than the body can fix it, or if you work it to the point where it becomes damaged or inflamed, tendonitis may develop.

When tendonitis develops, your tendons become swollen, and may become painful to move a particular joint or muscle. Tendonitis is a common problem that often develops in the wrist, arm and/or shoulder as a result of doing repetitive tasks such as typing, playing tennis, gardening or pursuing hobbies like building models.

Tips to help avoid developing tendonitis.

1. Proper Posture: Keep your hands in a straight line with your forearms while working at a keyboard. This proper posture will minimize the distance that your tendons have to move, which allows them to work more efficiently.
2. Preparation: Before you begin any repetitive activity, such as typing, gardening or playing a musical instrument, prepare your body by doing some simple stretching exercises to prime your muscles, tendons, and ligaments for the task that follows.
3. Breaks: Give your muscles a brief rest from whatever tasks you are working on by changing how the muscles work for 5-10 seconds. For example, if you are typing, take the breaks that Office Athlete® suggests, or at least raise your arms to the ceiling and straighten out your fingers for 5-10 seconds every 20 or 30 minutes.

See the Tenosynovitis, Bursitis, and Repetitive Strain Injury sections for related information.