Tendonitis

Everyone has experienced it; the pain around a muscle from overuse.  Tender to the touch, maybe just flaring up in certain activities or motions, the annoyance and pain that hinders your body in some way.

This is usually known as a tendonitis, or sometimes now referred to as tendonosis.  Either way it is an injury sustained from overuse of a certain muscle group creating microtrauma in the tendons associated.

Common affected areas are the knees, elbows, forearms, and shoulders, usually from running, racquet sports, repetitive lifting and even improper footwear.

The best thing I can recommend for these sore, troublesome areas is ice and rest.  Simply put, if a movement bothers you, then you need to not do that movement, let that tendon rest, that is why it is inflamed.  Find an alternate activity or movement that accomplishes the same thing.  Aggressive icing definitely can provide relief and speed up the recovery process.  A hint is to take some dixie cups full to the brim with water and freeze them.  When it is time to ice, take a frozen cup and peel away the top inch, exposing the ice, and use this part to rub circles on the affected area.  Continue this for five minutes (peeling back more and more cup as the ice melts) for at least 5 minutes.  The area will probably numb quickly but the relief will last way longer.  This more aggressive way of icing is more effective than laying a frozen bag of peas over your knee at night.

Remember, tendonitis will only go away if you take the proper steps.  Rest and ice are your friends.