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Q: Tendonitis Resources ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Tendonitis Resources
Category: Health > Conditions and Diseases
Asked by: closethoarder-ga
List Price: $20.00
Posted: 29 Aug 2005 08:14 PDT
Expires: 28 Sep 2005 08:14 PDT
Question ID: 561752
I wish to find comprehensive sources of Tendonitis information. I
would like info on the different types of Tendonitis / tendinitis, and
the most effective treatments; braces/supports etc, Exercises and
stretches for each type of Tendonitis, pros and cons of NSAIDs and
Cortisone injections, How to avoid Surgery, Recovery Rates with or
without surgery, if diet helps, and if possible, links to alternative
medicine.

Thank you

Closet Hoarder
Answer  
Subject: Re: Tendonitis Resources
Answered By: librariankt-ga on 29 Aug 2005 17:38 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hi Closet Hoarder,

There is a lot of information available to you on the internet about
tendinitis.  I am including a number of sites that will either give
you such information directly or will help you navigate to more
sources of help.

First of all, with questions like this I always turn to MedlinePlus
first (http://www.medlineplus.gov).  This is a database of websites
that is maintained by the US National Library of Medicine (an
institution near and dear to my heart).  The topic area for Tendinitis
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tendinitis.html) includes links to
website with information in the following categories:

Overviews
Treatment
Prevention/Screening
Rehabilitation/Recovery
Specific Conditions (which includes websites that go into depth on the
treatment & prevention of specific kinds of tendinitis, like tennis
elbow - Note that recovery rates vary with type of tendinitis as well
as type of surgery - if you're looking for a particular one and don't
find it here please let me know)
Related Issues
Clinical Trials
Directories
Organizations

In addition, there are cross-links to related topics (bones, joints,
and muscles) and to the a search fro tendinitis in the Medline
database of medical literature.

MedlinePlus also has a brief encyclopedia article on tendinitis that
refers to specific cases:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001229.htm

Of the links on the MedlinePlus page, the following are particularly helpful:

MayoClinic.com: Tendinitis
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00153
This page has a lot of in-depth information about tendinitis,
including an overview, signs & symptoms, causes and risk factos,
screening & diagnosis, complications, treatment, and prevention &
self-care.  There are a number of side-bars that link to information
about topics such as specific types of tendinitis, the pros and cons
of steroid injections, and a comparison guide for over-the-counter
pain relievers.

American College of Rheumatology: Tendonitis/Bursitis
http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/tendonitis_new.asp?
While this page is not nearly as comprehensive as the Mayo Clinic one,
it does have good basic information on the causes, treatment, and
prevention of tendinitis and bursitis.

UpToDate: Tendinitis and Tennis Elbow
http://patients.uptodate.com/topic.asp?file=bone_joi/9498&title=Tendinitis#4
This report was written by a physician, and focuses on information
that your doctor thinks you should know (and would understand) as a
consumer.  Note that it contains much the same information as the
previous two pages.

FamilyDoctor.org: Physical Activity
http://familydoctor.org/x5216.xml
I cheated a bit to get to this page; MedlinePlus includes the link for
"Joint and Soft Tissue Injections", and I went up a level to get to
the index of pages dealing with prevention and treatment of injuries
due to physical activity.  You'll find stretching and range of motion
exercises to prevent muscle and tendon injuries on the pages titled
"Running & Overuse Injuries", "Knee Pain", and "Shoulder Pain".  There
is also information about knee braces (of which FamilyDoctor is
lukewarm) at http://familydoctor.org/490.xml.  Note that all of these
pages refer back to a published source, usually from the journal
American Family Physician.

Now to address some of your specific questions that aren't in the
above pages (necessarily):

Diet: it's generally considered (according to these pages) in your
best interest to be in shape to prevent tendinitis.  Biomedical Labs
suggests the following:
"Revise your diet. Add more raw seeds such as pumpkin and flax seeds
and fatty fish like salmon or sardines to your food intake; these
foods contain health promoting omega 3 fatty acids, to reduce tendon
inflammation. Increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables; eat
more legumes (beans, peas); cut down on foods rich in animal fats,
particularly fatty meats (beef, pork) and high-fat dairy products. "
Source: http://www.biomedicalabs.com/tendinitis_bursitis_wellness_tips.htm
Google Search: diet AND tendinitis

Alternative therapies:  The following pages suggest alternative
treatments for tendinitis.  Note that some are trying to lessen
swelling/pain, others are trying to strengthen the tendon.  Google
search: (alternative OR complementary) AND medicine AND tendinitis

Alternative Medicine And Health.com: Tendinitis and Bursitis
http://alternative-medicine-and-health.com/conditions/tb.htm
"Adequate nutrition can play a role in preventing and easing the
effects of tendinitis and bursitis. The following nutrients, used also
for wound healing, are important.
"Vitamin C is critical to the repair of injuries. It speeds cellular
growth and repair and is important in the production of collagen,
which the body uses to create connective tissue. I suggest that
patients who suffer regularly from tendinitis and bursitis take
regular vitamin C supplementation. Vitamin A in the form of
beta-carotene is also critical to tissue repair. It's best taken with
zinc, which works in conjunction with vitamin A to repair tissue and
reduce inflammation.
"Vitamin E and selenium work together to limit inflammation and speed healing. 
"NATURAL PRESCRIPTION FOR TENDINITIS AND BURSITIS 
"FOR ACUTE PAIN: 
"Immediately after injury, for up to five days, and sometimes longer,
use the: RICE technique as described above. Use with decreasing
frequency until the pain and inflammation have subsided.
During acute pain, immobilize the joint either, with a sling or keep
off the joint if it's a foot or knee.
When acute pain has subsided, gradually exercise joint with
increasingly large movements made very gently, and without any kind of
bouncing.
As you begin to exercise, use warm heat either in the form of a
heating pad or warm, moist compresses.
FOR CHRONIC PAIN 
"Never exercise without warming up, and begin all, new activities
gradually. Stretch, without bouncing, before all exercise.
If you have chronic tendinitis or bursitis, use the RICE techniques
immediately after exercise even if you don't feel pain.
Never "work through the pain." If you feel pain during an, activity,
stop and use the RICE technique; to continue your activity is to risk
rupture and surgery.
Modify year movements. Try to avoid regular, repetitive movements with
any Joint that's vulnerable to, tendinitis or bursitis. If a
particular exercise causes your problem, alternate that exercise with
another and/or get professional instruction on how to modify your
movements, for instance those that cause tennis elbow, so as to avoid
stressing the joint.
IN ADDITION TO YOUR DAILY BASIC VITAMIN/MINERAL SUPPLEMENT, TAKE THE
FOLLOWING UNTIL YOUR INJURY IS HEALED:
Vitamin C: 1,000 mg. daily 
Beta-carotene: 10,000 I.U. daily. 
Zinc: 22.5 mg, daily. 
Vitamin E: 400 I. U. daily. 
Selenium: 50 mos. daily 
IN ADDITION: Acupuncture can be very helpful for people who suffer
from acute and chronic tendinitis and bursitis"

Medicomm.net suggest Apitherapy for tendinitis:
http://www.medicomm.net/Consumer%20Site/am/apitherapy.htm
"Bee venom is administered either by needle or by actual bee sting.
Chemical studies show that venom contains a number of powerful
anti-inflammatory substances, including adolapin and melittin. Said to
be a hundred times more powerful than hydrocortisone, melittin
stimulates the production of cortisol, a natural steroid that also
acts as an anti-inflammatory. Not surprisingly, bee venom therapy (or
BVT) is often used for conditions that involve inflammation, such as
tendinitis, bursitis, and rheumatoid and osteoarthritis."

I hope the above sites give you the information you are looking for.
If you need clarification on any of them - or need more information
that I haven't provided - please let me know by submitting a
clarification request (preferably before rating the answer!).

Yours,

Librariankt
closethoarder-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars
Sorry for delay in Rating. I had to check with colleague to find out
if the answer was sufficient. Thanks a lot!

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