The musculoskeletal system enables movement and everyday tasks. Tendons connect bones to muscles and move the body when muscles contract.
Tendons absorb force to prevent injury, but excessive pressure causes tendonitis or tendonosis. If pain or inflammation affects a tendon, visit Orange County Spine and Sports Physicians for treatment.
Dr. Vivek Babaria, a leading specialist in spine and sports medicine, offers advanced options such as PRP and other regenerative medicine therapies, along with gentle, nonsurgical approaches to ease tendinopathy and help you stay active.
Tendonitis flares up when one or more tendons become irritated. Often, it’s triggered by activities you love—overuse or repetitive motions that put extra strain on these connectors.
Tendonitis symptoms depend on injury severity. Common symptoms include:
Shoulders, knees, wrists, and elbows are frequent targets of tendonitis. The Achilles tendon, the powerhouse in your heel, faces extra risk because it's the body's largest—so take care of it as you move through life!
Tendonosis is a different beast. It’s not just inflammation, but a slow degeneration that happens if healing stalls after injury or acute inflammation.
Collagen fibers in tendons break down over time, making them stiffer and thicker. Tendonosis limits movement and makes it difficult to complete regular tasks.
Tendonosis creeps in through overuse, chronic aches, prior injuries, and simply getting older. Its symptoms echo those of tendonitis—aching, burning pain, stiffness, and weakness—but tend to last longer.
Tendonosis can affect any tendon in the body, but it most often occurs in the feet, shoulders, elbows, knees, and heels. Treatment is all about easing strain and giving your tendon a chance to heal.
What truly sets tendonitis and tendonosis apart is how your body reacts. Tendonitis sparks rapid inflammation—think swelling, warmth, and redness at the injury site.
Tendonosis, on the other hand, is a lingering issue that arises when healing is delayed or tendonitis persists. Chronic pain replaces swelling, and the discomfort doesn’t simply fade away.
Both issues stem from overuse or repetitive movements, but one is acute, and the other is chronic.
Tendonitis and tendonosis need unique approaches. For tendonitis, we recommend icing, resting, anti-inflammatory medications, and dedicated physical therapy to speed up your recovery. Tendonitis usually resolves within six weeks of the initial problem.
Healing tendonosis centers on rebuilding the damaged tendon through targeted physical therapy, progressive loading exercises, and, if needed, regenerative medicine. We aim to help you regain strength and function.
An accurate diagnosis is crucial because treating tendonosis as tendonitis can delay healing and prolong your recovery.
Connect with our Newport Beach or Carlsbad office to discover how we can help with tendonitis and tendonosis. Make today the start of your pain-free journey.
