Tendinitis refers to an inflammation of the tendons which produces pain and tenderness near a joint. Much of the time it is associated with an overuse injury brought on by a specific motion that is either repeated often or with intensity. Tendinitis is a generic, general term that refers to the inflammation of the tendons which supports the joints. The particular name of the tendinitis is often preceded by the joint which is affected. For instance, individuals can suffer from wrist tendinitis, elbow tendinitis, DeQuervain’s tendinitis or hip tendinitis.
Because the word tendinitis is a derivative of the word tendon it is often misspelled as ‘tendonitis’.
The tendons themselves are chords of fibrous connective tissue that actually act to connect muscle to the bone. They are found throughout the entire human body and are responsible for the smooth gliding motion which muscles are able to produce only with their help. (1)
Diagnosis is always accomplished on physical examination with a medical history. History will include pain with motion and often a description of repeated motion using that joint. The individual will suffer from tenderness directly over the tendon and pain with motion as well as swelling. Any imaging studies, such as x-rays and MRIs, are usually not necessary to diagnose tendinitis. However, physicians may recommend imaging studies in order to rule out other bone issues which also may accompany a traumatic injury.(2,3)
Each of these different imaging studies will show a variety of different factors and problems in the bone and muscle. X-rays may show evidence of swelling around the tendon but MRIs will identify swelling and can show evidence of tendinitis. However, these studies are not necessary to confirm a diagnosis and are only done if another problem is also suspected.
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