Tendonitis can cause issues throughout the body. And to be honest, tendon healing can be frustrating because tendons take a long time to heal.
Patience and sticking to the treatment plan is key in addressing symptoms caused by tendonitis.
Here's some important information to know.
What Tendonitis Is
More current terms being used for tendonitis are tendinopathy and tendinosis.
There has been a name change due to the structure of tendons and the lack of blood flow they have.
The suffix -itis means inflammation
Because tendons lack dense bloodflow, the tendon itself is not what is inflamed in a tendon injury.
The research shows that there is more of a degradation of the tendon happening from overuse.
For simplicity's sake, tendonitis, tendinopathy, and tendinosis all point to a tendon overuse injury. Since tendons connect muscles to bones, activities that cause long term stress can lead to overuse injuries.
What Nerve Pain Feels Like
Nerves travel from the spinal cord to the rest of our body with many different pathways. They are responsible for giving our body information on what we feel and how to move.
When nerves get injured or irritated they can cause a specific type of pain.
Nerve pain can be described as of the following:
Numb
Tingling
Shooting
Burning
Radiating
Electric
Patients of mine have described nerve pain as all of these as well as a blend of multiple of them. It's totally typical of "nerve pain" if you're feeling one or more of these symptoms.
Numbness and tingling tends to be the most common symptoms that folks have and often one that prompts them to reach out to get started with treatment because it ends up affecting their daily activities.
How Tendons and Nerves Are Connected
Tendons are connected to nerves by those pathways I referred to above.
Nerves are connected to muscles and tendons to give them instructions on how to move. There are also areas in the body where tendons run alongside nerves.
When Tendonitis Can Irritate a Nearby Nerve
When you have overuse or a traumatic injury to a tendon, all of the soft tissue around that area produces an inflammatory response.
That inflammatory response stimulates swelling which can compress nearby nerves.
After an injury, that swelling can cause a decrease in range of motion, and make you not want to move that body part. Both of which can cause the joint to get stiff and your nerves to be less mobile.
And when your nerves are less mobile, they can get tight causing nerve pain when you start to move that body part again.
Nerve compression and immobility can lead to numbness and tingling as well as the other symptoms listed above.
Common Areas Where This Happens
Some of the most common areas where nerves and tendons both cause pain in the upper extremities and lower extremities are:
Elbows (golfer’s and tennis elbow)
Shoulders (bicep tendonitis)
Wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome)
Hip flexor
Hamstrings
Knees (patellar tendonitis)
Ankles (achilles tendonitis)
Feet (plantar fasciitis)
Tendon Pain vs. Nerve Pain
Everyone’s pain is very individualized so I am going to speak about common presentations here.
Tendon pain is often described as dull and achy, sometimes sharp. Tendons are more painful after periods of rest and tend to improve with movement or activity.
Nerve pain, like I described above, is more shooting, tingling, numb, or burning. Nerve pain can be more provoked with movement and sometimes constant– especially if there is swelling in the area.
Signs You Should Get Checked
If pain is preventing you from doing your normal activity or recreation, I would recommend seeing a physical therapist.
Some other symptoms that warrant further medical screening include worsening nerve pain, weakening of muscles, or the loss of movement in the affected area.
How Physical Therapy Helps
A physical therapist can help screen your injury to make sure it is truly a tendon issue or if you need to be referred for imaging to rule out something more serious.
They will also determine if the nerve pain is truly due to the tendon injury or if it is coming from somewhere else like your neck or back.
Working closely with a physical therapist will help you understand where your pain is coming from and how to address the issue.
Tendon injuries can be tricky due to the elasticity of the tissue affected.
Rest alone will not heal a tendon injury, but loading the tendon too much can keep it irritated.
Your PT will work with you to keep you active without continuing to irritate the tendon. You will also address nerve pain.
Some techniques that your PT may use for tendon and nerve pain include:
Activity modification
Strengthening exercises
Muscle and tendon scraping
Massage
Cupping
Nerve flossing
Red light therapy
Where to Find Treatment for Tendonitis and Nerve Pain in Meredith, NH
If you are local to the Lakes Region and are interested in working together to address your tendon and nerve pain, schedule a free discovery call or book an initial evaluation at my clinic in Meredith, NH.
I offer physical therapy for active adults and bring and individualized approach to care (and also fun, of course!)
I’d love to work together to improve function, increase your quality of life, and keep you doing what you love.