What is Tendonitis?

Chiropractic isn’t just about keeping your back strong and healthy. It’s a way to optimize wellness by ensuring the parts of the musculoskeletal system are working in harmony and reaching their full potential. At ACT Wellness Center in Woodbridge, our Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo is a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, meaning that he is able to provide assistance to people suffering from tendonitis. This dysfunction of the connective tissue between muscles and bones is one of the most common sources of pain, so let’s take a closer look at what it is and how it is treated.

 

Skeletal muscles bundle into fibrous bands, called tendons, before inserting into bones. Tendons, unlike muscles, have poor blood supply, but they share being prone to fraying when overused or when they rub against a protrusion. Their fraying causes them to become weak, a condition known as “tendinosis,” and breakdown of tissue may trigger the body’s inflammatory response. An inflamed tendon is said to be suffering “tendonitis,” and if the lubricated sheath of synovial tissue surrounding it around it is inflamed, we call that “tenosynovitis.” An inflamed tendon will be sore, swollen, and stiff, and may continue to break down.

 

When a patient incurs tendonitis through overuse, we can help them to reduce inflammation through soft tissue therapies such as application of cold laser and electric stimulation. We may also perform extremity adjustments to restore subluxated joints in the limbs, addressing the underlying cause of wear by reducing the stress on tendons. Therapeutic exercise can increase the strength and flexibility of the soft tissues, making them less vulnerable to fraying in the future and increasing their blood supply, allowing them to heal faster.

 

Tendonitis may get worse on its own, but is highly responsive to uninvasive, non-addictive treatments. If you’re experiencing soreness in your limbs, schedule a visit to Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo at the ACT Wellness Center, 14111 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, Virginia. Call 703-491-9355.