Tendinitis is inflammation of the tendon, although more accurately the inflammation occurs in the tendon sheath. Within the tendon itself, depending on the cause of tendinitis, fiber breakage may occur.

The most frequent causes of tendinitis are the traumatic and rheumatic origin:
In the case of traumatic tendinitis these can arise by a single violent trauma or from repeated trauma of lower intensity which are generally occupational or sports. In these cases occurring fibers ruptured tendon itself which results in pain and inflammation of its sheath.

When the cause of tendinits is a rheumatic disease, the body produces antibodies that attack the tendon and its sheath. There are other reasons that can be given as tendinitis are infectious in origin, due to certain drugs. Etc..

The main symptom is pain in the course of the tendon, the pain increases with maneuvers that force or stretch the tendon. When inflammation occurs near the anchorage area is often called enthesitis and pain can be perceived more located at the junction to the bone.

Treatment in acute phase is usually provided with rest and anti-inflammatories for 3 weeks in most cases. When a well-defined cause tendinitis source, such as infections, treatment should be conducted itself in this. The return to normal daily activity is usually done in stages and often require rehabilitation treatment. The infiltration also may be effective in controlling pain and inflammation.

Chronic tendinitis and tendinosis: When tendinitis are repeated or long duration (more than 6 months) are called chronic tendinitis. In this situation the tendon is prone to internal breakage of fibers, with subsequent healing of these cracks are formed nodules, this new scar tissue that forms within the tendon is weaker than the healthy tendon. So after time and repeated after suffering tendinitis tendon may appear weak at certain points and thickened in others, this degeneration of the tendon is called tendonitis.

The treatment of tendinosis is more complex, it depends mainly of the tendon is affected and the symptoms it produces. For some cases, as in tendonitis of the tendons of the shoulder (rotator cuff), rehabilitation treatment is usually performed to improve mobility and strengthen the other muscles and thus relieve the tendons of the hamstrings. In other cases, such as Achilles, when it produces pain not improved with standard treatment (rehabilitation and anti-inflammatory) can opt for surgery, which are small abrasions made longitudinally along the tendon. When the origin of tendinosis is well known such as those due to rheumatic diseases due to external compression of the tendon should treat the cause of tendinosis.

Tendon rupture:
The rupture usually occurs in tendons with tendinosis, ie tendons that have suffered previous tendinitis, and generally tends to break when making a sudden movement or effort. With tendon rupture severe pain occurs suddenly, is accompanied by an inability to perform certain movements. The pain of failure patients typically describe him as having received a “stone” in the heel. Tendinosis would enhance spontaneous tendon rupture can be difficult to repair with surgery because in the degenerate tendon tends to unravel when trying to suture, so that often reinforces the healthy tendon suture drawn from other locations.

Enthesitis:
Is inflammation of the tendon at its point of attachment to the bone, doctors often call them as the causes tendinitis and general treatment is the same, the only difference is that the pain is usually more localized in the anchor point and can produce referred pain, ie pain felt along the bone to which it is anchored. A certain number of tendinitis of the tendons of the rotator cuff are really enthesitis, and pain is felt in the shoulder can be extended to the rest of the arm by its external side. The enthesitis as tendinitis can become chronic, and ultimately in this region of the injured tendon tends to accumulate calcium and thus to ossify (bone is formed where there were tendon) that can be seen on radiographs as small “peaks or spikes “sticking out of the bone surface.

Initial treatment is identical to that of tendinitis: rest, anti-inflammatory, rehabilitation, infiltration. In some cases, when pain is persistent and disabling and not relieved by other, less aggressive surgery is chosen, that in most cases is to take off the tendon from its point of attachment to the bone, where the tendon not of vital importance to produce a movement as the role of the tendons can perform other neighbors.