Pain pain pain!!!

Do you remember when I did some gardening? Cos I certainly do (Sunday 7th May)!!! I was pulling weeds, plants, shovelling etc.... And that day - I pulled a muscle.... Coming up to 2 weeks now - after rest and Ibuprofen... still pain!

Went to see Dr and they say I have left arm/shoulder tendonitis! Great!! So with my arm in a sling to rest it and doing as little house chores as possible... I'm finding it REALLY difficult to do things! Never really appreciated what I do with the left hand and how much use i really get out of it... Now I know!

"What is tendonitis?"
Sometimes the tendons become inflamed for a variety of reasons, and the action of pulling the muscle becomes irritating. If the normal smooth gliding motion of your tendon is impaired, the tendon will become inflamed and movement will become painful. This is called tendonitis, and literally means inflammation of the tendon.

"What causes tendonitis?"
The most common cause of tendonitis is overuse. Commonly, individuals begin an exercise program, or increase their level of exercise, and begin to experience symptoms of tendonitis. The tendon is unaccustomed to the new level of demand, and this overuse will cause an inflammation and tendonitis.

Another common cause of symptoms of tendonitis is due to age-related changes of the tendon. As people age, the tendons loose their elasticity and ability to glide as smoothly as they used to. With increasing age, individuals are more prone to developing symptoms of tendonitis. The cause of these age-related changes is not entirely understood, but may be due to changes in the blood vessels that supply nutrition to the tendons.

Sometimes, there is an anatomical cause for tendonitis. If the tendon does not have a smooth path to glide along, it will be more likely to become irritated and inflamed. In these unusual situations, surgical treatment may be necessary to realign the tendon.