Tendonitis can occur in many places in the body and two of the most common places are at the elbow and at the shoulder; they are called "Tennis elbow" and "Frozen shoulder." I've suffered from both forms several times (in this report I'll talk mostly about tennis elbow). Tennis elbow involves inflammation in the tendons of the forearm muscles where they attach to the bony prominence on the outside of the elbow. A similar problem called "golfers elbow" occurs on the inside of the elbow.
Tennis elbow can be caused by playing tennis, but in most cases it is caused by other things. In virtually all cases, however, it is caused by overuse of the muscles that are attached to the elbow bone. This overuse causes inflammation, and although inflammation is important in healing, it can cause a lot of trouble if it doesn't go away fast enough. The kind you don't want is "chronic inflammation" and that's the kind that comes with tennis elbow. Your problem, therefore, is to get rid of this inflammation, and sometimes this isn't easy.
When it occurs, your first thought should be RICE, which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (exercise). The first two things you should do are rest it and apply ice. Applying ice as quickly as possible is critical because it stops the swelling, and the sooner you get it stopped, the better. This swelling is caused by inflammation, and the less you end up with, the quicker you will get rid of it.
Apply the ice for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, several times a day using an ice-pack. Eventually, as the area begins to heal, you can also apply heat, but at first it is best to alternate heat and ice.
The C in RICE stands for compression; it can be applied using an elastic bandage. It should also be applied as soon as possible, as it helps in reducing the swelling.
The E stands for elevation; in other words, you should keep the joint elevated as much as possible at first. But I also like to think of the E as exercise. You won't want to do this for a while, but as soon as the joint has begun to heal you should think about it. I'll suggest some exercises in a later post.
Inflammation is also reduced by medications such as aspirin, but you should talk to your doctor about them.
See my website at BarryParkerbooks.com and my book on health "Feel Great Feel Alive". It gives more information on injuries such as the above.
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