# tendonitis



## caribou (May 10, 2011)

So I've yet to see a doc but I'm pretty certain I've developed a nasty case of tendonitis in my left knee over this past riding season(about 35 days of riding). I ride regular, so it's my leading leg and I think the damage is a mix of popping too many ollies, vibrations (we had real shitty icy conditions in the alpes this year) and initiating turns in heavy pow (didnt get much of the nice fluffy stuff this year, just wet heavy stuff)

I've talked to a few people, including my chiropracter and some friends who've had that same problem and the only advice I've recieved is drink lots of water and don't go overboard on exurting it too much.

Problem is I've been doing this and it seems to be getting worse. Before the pain only really bothered me after a hard days riding or after a busy weekend of fitting out clients with rental boots (constant kneeling). I've more or less been on vacation since the end of the season (end of April) and asside from some hiking and biking have been taking it pretty easy but now the pain is so bad it wakes me up in the middle of the night sometimes and it's all stiff in the morning when I get up each morning.

I do plan on seeing a doctor soon but am home visiting my family in Canada and a trip to the doc would mean a few trees worth of paperwork as I'm not covered by insurance here anymore...Soooooo, I'm just wondering if anyone here has any usefull tips to ease the pain/recover while I wait for professional advice. Stretches, ice, heat, vitamins/minerals, take it easy or keep active? What's the deal, what can I do here?

cheers


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

there's a few things in knees that can go wrong. i've torn ligaments but i think you'd know if you had, unless its very mild. i think the outside ones heal up ok themselves but the one that runs inside the joint requires surgery to repair.
there's also cartilage that can tear off and jam up in knees, don't think that heals so much. had a friend that had key-hole surgery to remove then its all good.
i guess the golden rule here though is to see a doctor... and NOT a walk in clinic either... actually see a Physiotherapist if you can. Might be worth the $60 or so dollars man.
i got misdiagnosed by walk in clinic for a ruptured achilles tendon, they said it was a sprain... went to Physio and they knew straight away what was up.
don't put if off, you might be doing more damage!


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

tendonitis may be the issue but it is pretty unusual for tendonitis to wake you up during the night, in fact it is unusual for tendonitis to bother you when you are not load bearing through the knee. First question is, is the pain below or above your knee cap? is it central? and is it on the bone or between your knee cap and shin bone or knee cap and quadricep?

Typically tendonitis is called jumpers knee because this is the activitiy that usually causes this, like lots of ollies.....So IF it is tendonitis then the best thing you can do is manage it until the symptoms have gone, most (and i stress most not all) cases of tendonitis are pain injurys that will not do further damage if you keep exercising on it. It is really common in basketball and volleyball and most players just ice after exercise, take anti inflams and use tendonitis straps, here is an example of what they are..... Patella Tendon Straps - PhysioRoom.com

A great exercise to help with prevention and rehab (this will hurt but thats ok you must push through the pain in the first 2 weeks) is to do single leg dencline squats. Here is a video demonstrating YouTube - ‪19. Physiotherapy North Sydney: Patella Tendon Injury Exercise with Decline Board‬‏ My guess is that it may not be tendonitis if it hurts constantly but if it is then these methods will really help to fix the problem. I know that tendonitis usually affected me for about 2 months and then went away after i did all of those rehab and recovery exercises. And of course it is very worth while going to a physio!!


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## blondieyo (Jun 12, 2011)

I got diagnosed with tendonitis in my thumb/wrist just today (completely unrelated to snowboarding). My physio basically said it's caused by overworking the tendons. The stiffness you're getting in the morning is most likely due to the sheath around your tendon (that normally helps let the tendon contract and slide smoothly and freely)is getting stuck to the tendon because the tendon is inflammed and has expanded. Think of it like a piece of string sliding on the inside of a straw, but if the string expanded and started rubbing against the sides of the straw it'd move much less freely.

Stay off your leg as much as you can and let it rest. Take some antiinflammatories and get some anti-inflammatory cream and rub it on the effected areas a couple of times a day. Make sure you do gentle exercises such as bending and extending your knee. Don't push it though, make sure it doesn't cause discomfort. You should be simply trying to unstick the tendons from the sheath. You can also ice it once or twice a day. Hope that helps a little...


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

yeah that may work for a thumb but you need to strengthen the muscles supporting the knee, this will cause some discomfort and that is a good thing, the tendon in the knee will be hurting due to the inflammation around the insertion point from tendon to bone, this is due to the tightening of the muscles and tendon due to overwork. This is not the same as a swollen tendon, even if the tendon sheath is fluid filled it is where it attaches to bone that will be the main problem area. The difference is that by stretching, massaging and then strengthening you actively treat the problem and the symptoms. If you just ice and anti inflam for 2 weeks until the pain is gone then you can put your house on it that the pain will be back in anoher 2 weeks after re starting exercise.

You should be icing more than 2 times a day, and should be doing decline leg squats about 3 times a day, this is a PROVEN method to getting rid of knee tendonitis, ask any sports physio and they will agree. Not only does it help strengthen the muscles but it also stretchs the tendon and strengthens the attachment point. Do NOT do nothing until the pain stops or i promise the same problem will be back after you start up exercise again. It WILL cause some discomfort but of course common sense says we dont want to have tears while rehabbing, push yourself but dont be stupid


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## caneyhead (Jan 5, 2009)

I feel your pain. I have pattelar tendonopathy aka tendonitis aka jumpers knee. Pain on the inferior pole of the patella best elicited with a relaxed patella. Yes it will wake you up at night or begin to ache when left in one position too long. That's exactly what it does. Mine is on my back knee. Had it off and on for years but came back with a vengeance last season. 

I don't know if this is what you have. But if you do, My advice to you is to take this injury very seriously. It is often possible to work through it. Don't do it. I learned this the hard way. The tendon heals very slowly. 

I suffered through it all last season. Found out today by way of ultrasound that I have only about 10% normal tendon left. Today I had what is called a needle tenotomy and PRP injection. I am skeptical that it will work on me given the amount of disease I have. I'm researching some new treatments with ultrasound that they are doing in a few locations. I'm afraid that in all likelyhood I'm out for the season. 

If your injury is minor enough you may be able to help with eccentric exercises and stretching. This has helped me in the past. Take it SLOW. Get pain free then ramp up your intensity slowly. Remember, months not weeks. This is where I have gone wrong in the past. Long periods of inactivity followed by overzealous stressful exercising and sports. 

Good luck


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