A sore hand, a swollen foot – 2.5% of all people suffer from tendonitis at least once in their lives. The problem can often be traced back to work. But how exactly does such inflammation develop, what can be done to alleviate it, and how can it be prevented?
What is tendonitis?
Overusing your tendons can lead to tenosynovitis. Repetitive movements at work, during sports, or around the house are common causes of this inflammatory reaction. Musicians, in particular, often suffer from the burning pain. Tenosynovitis is rarely caused by a rheumatic disease or bacterial infection.
Symptoms:
- pulling pain when moving the affected body part
- Later, pain also occurred at rest and at night.
- Redness
- swelling
- Pressure sensitivity
- Movement and functional limitations
How does tendonitis develop?
Tendons connect bones and muscles. In particularly mobile areas such as the fingers, wrists, and ankles, they are embedded in tendon sheaths and held together by synovial fluid, a type of lubricant. This fluid ensures that the tendons glide smoothly without friction against the tendon sheaths.
Under sustained high stress, the tendon and tendon sheath become inflamed and swollen. The synovial fluid can no longer prevent friction, resulting in constant contact between the tendon and tendon sheath. This causes pain.
The tendons are inflamed - what now?
First, a doctor will make a diagnosis. If tenosynovitis is diagnosed, you will receive either a splint or a bandage for the joint. This allows the tissue around the tendon to heal and immobilizes the joint. You will also be prescribed anti-inflammatory medication.
Additional measures include:
- Cortisone injections
- Cold therapy
- Electrotherapy
Cold therapy for tendonitis
Now it's time to cool down! A tried-and-tested home remedy for inflammation is healing clay, such as the healing moor from Schweriner Naturheil. Apply the cooling pack to the affected area and let it work. The cold relieves pain and swelling and helps to slow down or stop the inflammatory process.
Schwerin's healing moor is:
- free from PVC plasticizers
- especially gentle and skin-friendly
- made from 100% organic natural peat
Also popular: taping
After removing the splint or bandage, you can continue taping the affected area to provide ongoing support for the joints and tendons. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the correct application beforehand.
A personal account
Our graphic designer Kevin Bölinger also struggled with a persistent case of tendonitis for a long time. Here he reveals how he finally got rid of the inflammation:
“In my office job, I'm always making the same hand movement, and after a while, it becomes a one-sided strain… Of course, I can't completely change my work habits. When it started to become a problem, when my wrist began to hurt, I needed to find a solution quickly. Most of the time, it's painkillers to suppress the pain, but the underlying problem is still there. I can't always afford to see a doctor while working full-time, even though health should obviously come first. So, I have to take my health into my own hands before the problem, the pain, becomes chronic.”
As luck would have it, I work at the Massunda massage studio, where we have quite a few tools available for testing. My boss recommended that I use the Hypersphere from Hyperice every day to alleviate the tendonitis that was already quite swollen at the time. So I did: whenever my hand started to hurt while working with the mouse and keyboard, I grabbed the vibration ball and did some hand exercises on the highest setting... and I have to say, it always provided relief, allowing me to continue working. I think that if you use it regularly and have the Hypersphere every day, you can prevent tendonitis.
I've tried many things to get rid of the pain in my hand, but in the end, a CBD preparation combined with vibration therapy really helped me to be pain-free again!
How does the Hypersphere work?
This Hyperice vibration massage ball is a state-of-the-art fitness device that improves overall body performance and recovery. It also helps to relieve muscle tension and improve blood circulation.
With its compact dimensions, the ball reaches the entire body, including specific problem areas. This can help reduce and even prevent pain such as that caused by tendonitis!
How can I prevent tendonitis?
To prevent things from getting to that point in the first place, we have some tips for you here.
- Use your keyboard correctly. Rest your palms in front of it to relieve strain on your joints. Cushions can also help.
- Take breaks. Move your hands from time to time and stretch them.
- Opt for an ergonomically designed mouse.
- Are you worried that tendonitis could be caused by sports or playing a musical instrument? Increase your activity level gradually to avoid overstraining your joints.
- Please note the regeneration times.
We hope this blog article has helped you.
