Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tendonitis

Tendonitis: cure or lifelong treatment?

GleepGlop — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 11:47:36 -0800

If you do the exercises and eventually 'cure' your tendonitis, what happens when you stop doing the exercises? Will it just come back or stay gone providing you don't over-do it? Sources?

carpal tunnel and tendonitis and what to do?

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:16:12 -0800

Arm/wrist problems and no health insurance: what to do? John got (diagnosed) tendonitis last summer. It was a work related injury and he received workers comp for it (including doctors visits and physical therapy). It slowly got better. In December/January John was spending too much time typing and got (diagnosed) carpal tunnel. He was in a country with public health insurance then so was able to see a doctor. He got some sort of injections in his wrists/arms (not cortisone injections), which didn't really seem to help.

Returning to the USA, John stopped having any sort of health insurance (and has a part-time job, which does not offer him health insurance but pays enough that it disqualifies him from Medicare), but went to several free clinics asking what he should do. They told him to take NSAIDs and wear wrist braces all the time. John has been doing this for the last three weeks, but the wrist braces have aggravated the previously-mentioned tendonitis in his elbows.

Right now he has weak and tingling wrists and hands, opening jars and turning on sticky faucets causes pain and tingling. In the winter (when it was really cold), his fingers were going numbish/turning white. After wearing wrist braces for over an hour, his elbows start feeling like they did back when he first got tendonitis (pain near funny bone, pain down forearm).

He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to make either of his arm injuries worse, he doesn't want to ruin his arms for life, he does not have savings or enough money to be in a position to negotiate a flat rate with a doctor. Right now he is doing yoga, has just started taking vitamin B-6 (thanks to advice from the internet), isn't typing or using a computer, but is at a loss as to what his other options are (other than living with weak and tingling and weird-feeling arms for the rest of his life).

What should he do? What can he do? What are his options? (Also, this is being typed by his girlfriend Jane, who would also like advice on how she can best be supportive and help John feel better during this.) If it matters, we are in the central New York area.

A guitar book that's good for my wrists?

invitapriore — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:06:59 -0800

I suffer from a tendency to develop tendonitis in my wrists. Gyorgy Sandor's On Piano Playing has helped me learn to play piano in a way that keeps my wrists happy. What similar book exists for guitar? My wrists recently flared up again and I decided it was time for a technique reboot on the instruments I play. Sandor's advice, things like keeping the active finger(s) in line with the respective muscles in the forearm, has really helped me to play in a way that doesn't cause me pain or damage. I've been trying to apply his general principles to guitar playing (all kinds, but mostly with a pick), but the ways in which they might be applied aren't always obvious to me. Is there a similar book that you recommend for guitar, that focuses on anatomically healthy technique that allows you to get maximum effect with minimum tension?

Stop my tendonitis (or whatever it is)

greasepig — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 05:55:00 -0800

How do I prevent getting (I think) tendonitis in my legs every so often? I'm a 39-year-old male, and running is an essential part of my life. It's pretty much my only exercise - I run very religiously 8 to 11 kilometers three times a week. I like it enough that I would like to run every day, but I have learned that my joints definitely require a day of rest in between.

Unfortunately, sometimes after two to four months or so, and almost always after a longer run of 10 or 12 km or so, I'll get what I am pretty sure is tendonitis somewhere on one of my legs or feet. It's always in a slightly different place - ankle, shin, or foot on either side- and it keeps me out of commission for at least a week. I always run pretty much the same route, very flat, and at a very moderate pace. I do the same stretching routines before each run, basically your standard runner's stretches. I'm pretty sure it's tendonitis because the first time this happened about five years ago, I went to the doctor who diagnosed it, and provided the perfect physical therapy cure, as well as recommending special shoes that I use. And now when it happens I notice the same sort of swelling as I had the first time (but again, it is in a different place each time).

I would like to know if there are other things I can do to prevent this from happening. Would it be helpful to do more stretches beforehand? Would stretching afterwards help? Any advice for actual running styles?

Ouch, there goes my wrist again!

so much modern time — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:25:22 -0800

Better mouse for someone with symptoms of carpal tunnel/tendonitis? Because of my back pain and my tendency to use the computer far more than I really should, I'm developing some definite symptoms of carpal tunnel or tendonitis. The mouse is definitely not helping, so I'd like to change it. However, I went to the computer market today (I live in Beijing and have access to all the usual brands since they are all conveniently made here), and the selection was rather overwhelming.

I was on the computer for about five hours today during work, taking regular breaks and doing carpal tunnel stretches that I had found in previous threads, but my fingers and hands are tensing up and my pointer fingers are tingling. Writing this question alone is making it flare up!

What kind of mouse do you recommend for a woman with small hands and tiny wrists? (Literally, tiny, I can circle my wrists with one hand and have room to spare.) Should I get a larger mouse? One with a trackball?

My wrist hurts when I play violin!

vaguelyweird — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:25:39 -0800

Does anyone know of a good wrist brace for a violinist? I am a classically trained violinist (for 21 years, so no pancake wrist), who plays in a rock band, and putters around on guitar and piano. But without fail, after playing, even after just holding my violin (vertically by the neck), my left wrist will hurt a lot. And then the pain spreads through to my forearm, stopping at the elbow. I'm sure there is inflammation happening, so usually I take a break and put my arm in cool water.

For the most part, I stay in first position, but I've always had difficulty holding my palm parallel to the neck, so I'm usually at a 45* angle. I have a feeling some of the pain is due to twisting my wrist, but I'm not sure, since it doesn't feel twisted, until it hurts. This also happens when I play the guitar (although that seems more understandable to me due to wrist positioning).

I was hoping to find a wrist brace that I can wear while playing. My wrists are very thin (I am a small person) and I have a hard time finding good braces (my knee and ankles have similar twisting problems) or knowing how to use them. And maybe some other advice (wrist exercises, supplements, etc although I've read all the RSI threads here). I don't have health insurance, so please keep that in mind. Also for what it's worth, I do yoga and regularly avoid backbends/non-fist pushups for the same reason.

Running w/ a bum kneecap

Rudy Gerner — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:21:53 -0800

I have patella tendonitis in my right knee and I am a runner. Please give me some tips! I'm wondering if folks out there can share their experiences with running with tendonitis in one patella. I have an orthopaedic sports medicine doctor and a physical therapist so I will be getting some strengthening and stretching exercises and I have a band that wraps around my knee and essentially supports my kneecap. I'm wondering if folks have specific advice for either better/more substantial braces or things I can do before, during and after runs to minimize discomfort. My doctor has told me that I can definitely run but must make sure I stop before it becomes painful, which at this point is about 20-25 minutes. I prefer longer runs and had been trying to build my distances until this happened. I want running to still be fun and challenging and make me feel like I am really getting a workout even though I have to stop after less than a half hour.

Any advice on making the most of my training despite this setback would be very welcome.

Guess my shin-jury!

I_Love_Bananas — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:59:41 -0800

What does a stress fracture feel like? Is it a stress fracture or tendonitis?

This occurred after a week where I ran too fast too soon after recovering from a calf injury, on shoes that I now know to be a poor choice (I have since gotten new shoes but have not run on them yet).

There's an odd sort of sensation from time to time in the right front shin area- not pain, but not "normal" either. Certain motions invoke it- it felt at times like something brushed against or "fluttered" against my leg, but nothing had. It came from rotating/flexing my foot.

There was some swelling of the shin, the most alarming part of which was a singular raised "bump" that has since gone down. It was smallish, about the size and height of a grape sliced in half.

I have been trying to ice it several times a day and am on day 2 of not running.

If it's really a stress fracture, wouldn't it really hurt a lot more than it is? Will 2-3 days off be adequate rest if it's tendonitis?

I have read that it's notoriously tricky to even find stress fractures on an x-ray. I don't want to lose time from work, pay the $$ and suffer the semi-embarrassment that comes from showing up at the doctor with a hard-to-explain non-pain that may or may not be anything.

Please don't reply with "Go see a doctor." In a non-urgent situation (which from the lack of PAIN I think this is), I won't get an appointment for at least 3-5 days anyway. It won't happen in time to make any difference. I'm concerned about handling those next 3-5 days.

Treating achilles tendonitis on my own

rosebuddy — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:03:10 -0800

I seem to have classic achilles tendonitis and am trying to treat it myself. What treatments worked for you? At what point should I just give up and go to a doctor and get professional assessment and physiotherapy? I've been doing a lot of hill walking without stretching adequately and am now paying the price. A couple of days ago, I found that both achilles tendons were very tight and sore when I got up in the morning, especially when I tried to walk down stairs. They hurt only slightly going upstairs and usually aren't sore at rest or when I do a little walking around the house. Starting yesterday, I've been doing the following.

Resting: no long walks, cycling, etc.
Icing: 3-4 times a day
(not Compressing yet. Should I?)
(not Elevating yet. There doesn't seem to be a need.)

I'm taking Tylenol to fight the inflammation and do gentle wall stretches when I get up in the morning. I've also started wearing good supportive shoes around the house instead of going barefoot.

Normally, I would already be at the sports medicine clinic instead of asking for advice here. But my new medical insurer is auditing my account after I submitted my first claim a month after signing up. They won't even pay for my prescriptions right now, and I have no idea how much longer it will take to resolve this. I'm trying to stay away from any medical consultation unless it's really needed.

Am I on the right track with self-therapy? Is there anything else I should consider?

What's the easiest way to converting raw numbers into a chart or graph?

JaySunSee — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:09:23 -0800

What's the easiest way to convert this ungodly mess to a nice chart or graph? I have bilateral tendonitis and lately it's been painful for me to do anything on the computer. I'm looking for recommendations on how to parse these product names and numbers into a sane looking chart or graph with a minimum of keystrokes.

How do I deal with the depression stemming from a really bad year?

Anonymous — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:56:17 -0800

I have been beset by crappy luck and chronic health problems in the past year. It's been extremely stressful, worsened by the fact these very health problems prevent me from employing my normal methods of dealing with stress. I'm spiraling quickly downward into mood-swings and depression and I don't know what to do. How did you deal with your stressful periods? In the past year, I've contracted HPV, had surgery to deal with the subsequent cervical dysplasia, developed bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections on multiple occasions, and due to the necessary multiple antibiotic regimens I'm now into the eighth month of a yeast infection that is not even responding to strong anti-fungals. In the past six months I've also managed to pick up ovarian cysts and chronic kidney stones. I have two sports injuries that prevent me from doing any exercise besides slow walking and just found out I have a repetitive stress injury in my forearms. I've had multiple emergency-room trips for some of these conditions, as well as one a few months ago for an absolutely vicious bout of food poisoning. To make matters worse, in the past year I've also been sexually assaulted and a victim of check fraud, both which were a multiple-month legal headache to deal with, not to mention the psychological toll.

My schoolwork is suffering. I'm completely stressed out--I have never had health problems and they're now all piling on at once. I could deal with any one just by itself, but the sheer mass of them is driving me crazy. I get a lot of relief from hard exercise, but the sports injuries prevent any form--really, any form, I've tried. I get relief from sex, but that's only been possible twice in the past three months due to the yeast infections. Can't drink because of the anti-fungals. Can't even bake, cook, pet my cats, or escape to the internet due to the RSI. I've tried coping with ice cream, but that provides short-term relief, long-term stress due the expanding waistline, and I gotta cut that out again in another effort to treat the yeast infection (I was on a meat-eggs-vegetables diet, the infection died down, I included the sugar again and it's come back with a vengeance).

I'm incredibly depressed. I'm getting inexplicable mood swings. I hate my sick, deteriorating body and want to escape it. I want to lie down somewhere and cry. I have had deep depression before, beat it, and have remained pretty optimistic and upbeat--but after a year of this shit I can't anymore. I've joked with my boyfriend that I hope I get cancer, as that would be a sure sign from the universe that it didn't want me in it and I could take it as a cue to just kill myself.

What did you do with your bad luck year? Do you have any suggestions for dealing with the stress (besides meditation--that hasn't worked)? I'm living my life waiting for the next thing to come around the corner and punch me in the face, while attempting to nurse the bruises I've already received. It's no life at all.

How do I deal with my tendonitis without failing my classes?

Braeog — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:13:28 -0800

I have tendonitis in both my forearms from computer over-use. It is bad enough that I'm having trouble taking lecture notes in my university classes--a serious problem. Aside from not using the computer, what can I do? I am pretty sure it's not carpal tunnel as I have none of the nerve pinching, just pain down the underside of my forearms. I know getting an ergonomic keyboard and mouse are a good idea, but which ones? How do I learn to use keyboard shortcuts (I'm on Ubuntu)? Is there a specific way to write that will reduce the pain? Should I be doing grip exercises or using a forearm roller, or would that worsen the problem?

Also, while I can cut down my computer usage since I'm not in any computer-heavy classes, I have to take notes. Recording doesn't work at all for me. Will this be OK? It's usually 3-5 hours of note-taking a day.

Do I have baseball tendonitis?

spacediver — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:30:15 -0800

At the age of 7, I started developing my throwing abilities. By the age of 16, I could throw really well, but soon after, discovered that if I threw my hardest, I'd develop a pain near my elbow. This pain recurs even if I don't throw for years, and then throw one or two hard shots. When I was a kid, we used to play a game where we'd have two teams on either end of the school yard, and we'd toss a tennis ball back and forth. Mimicking one of my classmates, I developed a motion that maximized power, and quickly became very adept at throwing a tennis ball. I then moved onto stones, and for the next few years, I'd throw about 50 times a day at maximum force.

One day, at the age of 17 or so, while throwing around a softball, I noticed a pain develop behind my elbow, where the tricep connects. The pain was spread over an area that extended a few inches up the tricep.

I stopped throwing soon after.

Nowadays, even when I rest my arm for years without throwing at all, I get that exact same pain when I throw my hardest (or serve my hardest in tennis).

Is tendonitis a likely diagnosis?

Any chance I'll ever be able to throw consistently hard without pain?

(I'll go see a sports medicine doctor soon, but want to probe here for info).

A good knee brace?

SampleSize — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:35:23 -0800

Please help me choose the right knee brace for hiking that does not cause further pain. I'm experiencing what I believe is tendonitis in my knee when hiking. I've seen my doctor, and he suggested exercise, anti-inflammatories and a knee brace.

So, I got this McDavid 421 and just tried it for the first time on a 12-mile hike. My knee was fine, but I've also given it a several month (winter) rest, so I'm not sure if it was the brace, the ibuprofen, the rest, or some combination.

Anyway, I have two issues with the brace:
1. Now that I've done some research, it seems like this one isn't even made for tendonitis, but rather for patella support
2. The back of the knee brace pinches with each footstep. About halfway through the hike, it was painful enough that I just took it off. Mainly because of this, I won't be using it again.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a comfortable and supportive brace?

I have seen this thread, but it got so few responses, I thought I'd give it another shot.

Thanks!

Risks and stories about DeQuervain's release

liet — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 13:46:58 -0800

I'm having a deQuervain's release within the next couple of weeks, and I'm nervous. The web is full of stories by people who had the surgery recently -- how they can type to say "had the surgery on Tuesday and feel great!" I don't know. I haven't found much about the potential risks or stories by people who have recovered.

The short story: I'm a 26 year old woman and I spend a lot -- I mean, a lot -- of time at computers. If I'm not at a computer, I'm knitting or playing console games. Everything I like to do involves my hands.

In November, out of nowhere, I got this incredible pain in my right wrist. It was so bad, I went to the emergency room at 4:30 on a Saturday morning. A followup with a hand doctor confirmed that it was deQuervain's tendonitis. A few months in a splint, a workspace revision by an ergonomics expert, and two cortisone shots later, it's still not that much better. An MRI revealed nothing unusual. The doctor is recommending surgery.

I could live my life with this pain -- it's not debilitating, unless I'm trying to pull on something or pick up something bulky, like my fat dog -- but I'm sick of it. I haven't been able to do long sessions of console games or knitting ever since this started. I'm still able to type at work, and I still play a lot of World of Warcraft (heh), but I have to use an ice pack once in a while.

Considering that literally, everything I like to do involves my hands, what kind of risks am I running by having the surgery? The doctor mentioned a slight risk of nerve damage. If this were to happen, would I, for example, still be able to use a console controller and hit my left-side mouse button?