Tendons are the thick, fibrous cords that attach your muscles to bone, and when they become inflamed or irritated it's called tendonitis (tehn-dih-NYE-this). Bursitis, another form of tendinitis, occurs when the fluid filled sacs, or bursa (BER-suh), located between bone and other moving structures such as muscles, skin, or tendons becomes inflamed. Symptoms of tendonitis include pain and stiffness aggravated by movement. Although tendons surrounding a joint are the most often affected, any tendon or bursa in your body is susceptible to inflammation. Both conditions are generally temporary, but can become recurrent or chronic problems. Unlike arthritis, neither condition causes deformity, but can restrain your range of motion. Most commonly, tendinitis is caused from injury or overuse during work or physical activity, especially if you're poorly conditioned or use bad posture. There are several other conditions that can be associated with tendinitis, such as rheumatoid (ROO-muh-toyd) arthritis, gout, psoriatic (sohr-ee-AH-tik) arthritis, thyroid (THYE-royd) disease, and diabetes. To diagnose tendonitis properly, your doctor may recommend X-rays to exclude bone abnormalities or arthritis. Once you have been diagnosed with tendinitis or bursitis, treatment may vary based on the cause of the problem. In overuse or injury, avoiding a particular activity can be helpful, as well as performing proper warm-up exercises. Using anti-inflammatory medications, correct posture, applying moist heat, or sometimes ice can reduce inflammation and pain.
