Tendinitis
Massage Therapy as a Tendonitis Treatment

Tendinitis, sometimes spelled tendonitis, occurs when the tendon get irritated and inflamed from repetitious movements and overuse. It is commonly known as tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, pitcher's shoulder, jumper's knee or swimmer's shoulder. It is not limited to these joints though. You can get tendonitis in just about any tendon in your body. Massage therapy can be used as a tendonitis treatment.

The tendon is a fibrous tissue that connects the muscles to the skeletal system. Normally, tendons glide smoothly when the muscle moves. When the tendon is irritated, torn, or swollen it stops gliding smoothly and becomes quite painful. The pain occurs when the muscle associated with that tendon is moved. It is usually not painful when the muscle is immobile.

This condition usually affects specific areas, including:

• shoulder
• thumb
• hip
• elbow
• knee
• wrist
• ankle

While it is common to see in athletes, anyone can get this condition. The likelihood of getting tendonitis increases once you turn 40 because that's when you begin to lose elasticity in your tendons.

My husband is a professional musician. He plays the bass. Before we met, he developed tendinitis in his outer elbow. This is known as tennis elbow. It was very painful and he was fearful that he'd have to give up music. Then he met me. When he told me that he was having problems with his arm, I gave him a few massages and taught him some simple self massage techniques. Now he has no problems with his arm at all.

Doing a friction stroke over the affected area helps the tendon to repair. Fiction will break up adhesions in the area to prevent the formation of scar tissue. It will also increase the circulation to the tendon. With increased circulation the tendon will receive more nutrients and oxygen from its blood supply helping it to heal more quickly. My husband was able to treat himself because I trained him in specific methods he could use to ease his pain. If you have an injury it is best to see a professional therapist. This therapist will be trained and know methods that will treat your tendinitis without causing further injury.

Between professional massages you should make sure you take care of the injured area properly. Ice the area to decrease swelling and pain and rest it. Hydration is also quite important when suffering from a tendon injury. Be sure to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Hydrating will help your body tissues repair themselves. A physical therapist can give you exercises that you can do to help regain your tendon strength. If the condition persists, your swelling is very bad or you have a fever see your doctor.

Neuromuscular therapy, positional release, trigger point therapy and deep tissue massage all do very well in treating this condition.