Ankle Tendonitis – Definition – Treatment and Prevention

Tendons are a strong but flexible group of fibrous tissues which connect the muscles to the bones. It is because of them that we are able to walk, run, jump etc. While doing these activities, the muscles pull on a bone. Tendons transmit this muscular tension to the bone by gliding smoothly and easily to cause these movements.

If this action of pulling the muscle becomes impaired, inflammation occurs and movement of that part becomes painful. This is known as tendonitis. There are certain areas in one’s body where the blood supply is poor, leading to tissue damage and increasing the healing time of the tissue. This area is known as a watershed zone. Since oxygen and nutrients, which depend on the quality of blood flow, do not reach here properly, the chances of tendonitis increase. Tendonitis is commonly seen in middle aged people as ageing of tendons make them less elastic. In some cases, even surgical treatment is required to realign the tendon.

Symptoms of Tendonitis include tenderness and swelling directly over the affected tendon and pain with the movement of muscles and tendons which can be easily diagnosed through physical examination and X-rays can be used to ensure there is not any other problem in the affected area.

Treatment of Tendonitis include the following measures:

>>> Protection of the affected region – Avoid aggravating movements to prevent the condition from worsening. Proper rest is advised.

>>> Apply an Ice Pack – The area of inflammation should be constantly subjected to cooling through an ice pack to control swelling and help the tendon to return to its usual state quickly.

>>> Anti-Inflammatory Medicines – Tendonitis treatment can be improved by using medicines like Motrin, Celebrex, etc. which decrease pain and prevent swelling.

>>> Cortisone Injections – If still, the condition does not improve, an injection of cortisone, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory medicine, is given to the patient. It is injected directly to the site of inflammation.

To prevent the return of Tendonitis, following points are suggested:

>>> Physical Therapy – Patients can undergo physical exercises in a safe way under the guidance of a therapist to help them in using the affected area in a harmless manner.

>>> Intervals between workouts – Regular breaks should be taken between workout session to relieve the tendons of any stress and the same activity should not be continued for hours at a time.

Related current health articles

• Most Common Causes of Ankle pain (0)
• Ankle Tendonitis Diagnosis (0)