Written by Debbie on April 9, 2021 |
Both words are spelled correctly but tendinitis tends to be the more preferred term used in medical literature. More importantly, what is upper extremity tendinitis? The suffix “itis” means inflammation and the term tendinitis should be reserved for tendon injuries that involve larger-scale acute injuries accompanied by inflammation.(1) Risk factors include repetition, awkward postures, direct pressure, high force and prolonged static positioning.(2)
Symptoms of Tendonitis/Tendinitis
Symptoms can appear suddenly or develop over a period of time. The most common and insidious symptom is pain. It can sharp or dull, aching or burning and radiate up or down the upper extremity. Occasionally you can hear popping or see a bump. Other symptoms include stiffness, swelling and weakness. Signs can be more specific for certain types of tendinitis, such as difficulty gripping a pot with the arm straight with tennis elbow, or turning a key in the ignition with thumb tendinitis.
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Written by Tiffany on November 15, 2016 |
The age-old question: Heat or ice? While ice is ideal for certain injuries, heat also can provide symptom relief for a variety types of health conditions. In this article, I will focus on thermotherapy, or superficial heat modalities, which affect underlying tissue to a depth of 1-2 centimeters. These can include heat/hot packs, fluidotherapy, and paraffin baths.
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Written by Tiffany on July 15, 2016 |
Does it hurt to pinch or grab items, even light ones? Is opening a jar your worst nightmare? Do you have pain and/or inflammation at the base of your thumb and nowhere else? You may have osteoarthritis (OA) in the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint of your thumb. This joint is where your thumb and wrist meet. Most people associate OA with hips or knees, but it can also happen at the base of the thumb.
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Written by Debbie on May 22, 2015 |
It may happen while snowboarding or skateboarding. It can also just randomly occur while walking through a parking lot or in your own home. All of a sudden, you find yourself on the ground. It happens so unexpectedly. This is a FOOSH, an acronym which stands for “fall on outstretched hand”. This type of upper limb injury occurs when you try and break a fall with your outstretched hand.
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Written by Debbie on May 7, 2015 |
An RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) occurs when stress is placed on a joint, pulling on the tendons and muscles around the joint. When the stress occurs repeatedly, the body does not have time to recover and becomes irritated. The body reacts to the irritation by increasing the amount of fluid in that area to reduce the stress placed on the tendon or muscle. If not treated, it can lead to injuries to the soft tissues, tendons/muscles, and nerves.
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Written by Bill on October 29, 2014 |
Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented soft tissue mobilization technique that addresses dysfunction of the soft tissue in the body, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and fascia. The ART practitioner uses his or her hands to palpate abnormal tissue, and using compression and tension applied manually (with the hands), moves the patient’s body in specific movement patterns to allow stretching or gliding to occur at a targeted tissue. Generally, the goal of treatment is to allow tissue that may be adhered or shortened to move freely or achieve its normal length or resting tension.
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Written by Debbie on December 26, 2013 |
Do you have a trigger? It creeps up on you slowly. With time, it suddenly locks, and then straightens with a snap – like a trigger being pulled and released. What is a “trigger finger”? It is a condition that affects the tendons and the pulleysin your fingers or your thumb.
Tendons are tissues that connect muscles to bone. In the finger, the pulleys are a series of rings that form a tunnel through which the tendons glide, much like the guides on a fishing rod through which the line (or tendon) must pass. The tendons and the tunnel have a lining that allows easy gliding of the tendon through the pulley.(1)
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Written by Rachel on July 24, 2013 |
By definition, lateral epicondylitis (aka tennis elbow) is trauma affecting the origin of the tendons of the muscles that extend the wrist. This pathology results from many different causes. The most common are: mechanical problems, anatomical factors and lifestyle/work related tasks and or sport specific factors. Diagnosis of this common syndrome is somewhat straightforward.
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Written by Laura on May 30, 2013 |
A functional capacity evaluation (FCE) is an objective, functional evaluation of a series of tests administered to help determine current functional and physical status of a patient/client. Not all worker compensation cases need a FCE. Some injuries don’t limit work duties and many times physical and/or occupational therapy provides the healing and assistance to return a patient to work safely. But there are many benefits of a FCE:
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Written by Debbie on October 31, 2012 |
It can happen in an instant. You are reaching to catch a ball and suddenly you feel massive pain in your finger and are stunned for a second. This is a common occurrence in most sports including basketball and football. Some injuries are minor requiring little treatment and some are major requiring surgery. It is imperative to assess for an exact diagnosis and treat sooner than later to obtain optimal results.
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