Maybe your elbow hurts every time you play pickleball, your Achilles feels stiff when you first start moving, your shoulder complains after a workout, or your knee feels fine most of the week...until you do the activity that sets it off again. A common response is: “I think I pulled something.” But if the pain …
Maybe your elbow hurts every time you play pickleball, your Achilles feels stiff when you first start moving, your shoulder complains after a workout, or your knee feels fine most of the week…until you do the activity that sets it off again. A common response is: “I think I pulled something.” But if the pain keeps returning, particularly with the same movement, you may actually be dealing with a tendon problem.
WHAT IS A TENDON?
Tendons are the strong bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones. Tendinitis generally refers to irritation or inflammation involving a tendon. When tendon pain becomes persistent, you may also hear the broader term tendinopathy. Common problem areas include the elbow, shoulder, Achilles, knee, wrist, and hip.
HOW DOES TENDON PAIN USUALLY FEEL?
Tendon pain often has a pattern. It may:
- Develop gradually rather than from one obvious injury
- Be very localized
- Hurt with a particular movement
- Feel stiff when you first start moving
- Improve somewhat once you are warmed up
- Return after the activity
- Flare repeatedly when you return to your sport or workout
Repeated movement and sudden increases in activity can place more demand on a tendon than it is currently prepared to handle. That becomes especially relevant for active adults who suddenly go from playing pickleball once a week to three or four times a week. But it’s important to remember that your enthusiasm may adapt faster than your tendon does.
IS IT TENDONITIS, A MUSCLE STRAIN, OR A SPRAIN?
They are different injuries. A muscle strain, often called a pulled muscle, involves muscle or tendon tissue and commonly follows a sudden movement, sprint, reach, or overload. You may remember the exact moment it happened. A sprain involves a ligament, which connects one bone to another. It commonly follows a twist, fall, or awkward joint movement and may cause swelling, bruising, or instability around the joint. Tendon problems tend not to be so direct and frequently sneak up on you. There may not be one dramatic injury. Instead, it becomes, “It hurts every time I do this.”
WHY DOESN’T REST ALWAYS SOLVE IT?
Rest may calm symptoms temporarily. But many people get stuck in the same cycle:
- Play.
- Hurt.
- Rest.
- Feel better.
- Go right back to the same activity.
- Hurt again.
Persistent tendon problems often require more than simply waiting until the pain disappears. The amount of activity may need to be temporarily adjusted. Strength may need to be rebuilt. Movement patterns may need attention. Then the tissue can gradually be asked to tolerate more again. The goal is not necessarily to avoid using the tendon, but to help your body tolerate what you want it to do.
WHERE CAN EMVITAL FIT?
At Epic, EMVITAL is one of the noninvasive technologies we may incorporate when muscle or joint pain and stiffness are interfering with comfortable movement. Depending on the individual, helping reduce discomfort, stiffness, muscle tension, and surrounding guarding can make it easier to continue with an appropriate recovery plan. It is important to understand that reducing discomfort is not the same as repairing a significant tendon tear. The bigger question remains…why did the problem develop, and what needs to change so it does not simply return?
WHAT ABOUT EMSCULPT NEO FUNCTIONAL?
Sometimes pain is only part of the problem. A muscle may become weaker or harder to activate normally following an injury, period of inactivity, or compensation. Emsculpt NEO Functional can be used for neuromuscular stimulation and muscle re-education in appropriate situations. That gives us another way to think about recovery. Comfort matters, but function matters too.
WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A DOCTOR?
Do not assume every painful area is tendonitis. Seek medical evaluation for symptoms such as:
- Sudden severe pain
- A significant pop
- Inability to use the limb normally
- Inability to bear weight
- Significant swelling or bruising
- Obvious deformity
- Numbness or tingling
- Significant weakness
- Symptoms that continue to worsen
Sudden severe Achilles pain, for example, can represent something very different from routine tendon irritation and should be evaluated promptly. Persistent pain that is not improving or repeatedly interferes with normal activity also deserves attention.
THE PRACTICAL LONGEVITY TAKEAWAY
The goal is not simply to stop hurting today. It is figuring out what hurts, why it keeps happening, and what your body needs so you can continue doing the activities you enjoy.
Longevity is not about doing less as you get older – it is about keeping your body capable of doing more.
