Tennis elbow, pitcher's shoulder, and jumper's knee are all forms of tendonitis. Tingling and discomfort in your wrist and hand when you use the computer can also be caused by tendonitis and can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. I.C.E. DOWN ice wraps give you relief from tendonitis pain and reduce the inflammation which is critical to tendonitis recovery.

What is Tendonitis?

Tendonitis is irritation and inflammation of a tendon, due to microscopic tears. Tendons connect your muscles to your bones. You have hundreds of tendons in your body, and any of them can develop tendonitis, but the condition is most common in the elbows, shoulders, wrists, knees, ankles, and heels.

Tendonitis is usually an overuse injury. It can be caused by repetitive actions continually putting too much strain on the tendon tightening it and making it more likely to tear. Tendonitis can also occur during an activity that puts more than the usual daily strain on a tendon.

Tendonitis becomes more likely as you get older and your tendons lose flexibility. If you are over 40 and sit behind a desk all week, a weekend golf game could easily trigger tendonitis.

Tendonitis pain often starts out as a dull ache and becomes worse over time as you continue the activity that caused the microscopic tears before they fully heal. Tendonitis can be very painful.

Tendonitis Treatment

Reducing inflammation is the first goal in tendonitis treatment. Ice wraps reduce the inflammation and swelling, minimizing further tissue damage, and they relieve the pain.

Because tendonitis involves micro-tears in the tendon, it is important to avoid the activity which caused the injury until it has healed. As the tendon heals, however, scar tissue forms. The tendon must be loosened up by performing exercises which do not cause inflammation and further damage.

Anti-inflammatory medications are sometimes recommended to reduce inflammation and relieve tendonitis pain, but these medications can blunt the pain which signals more strain and further injury. Ice wraps give relief from the pain without blocking pain's protective function.

Cortisone injections are sometimes used to reduce inflammation in tendonitis, but cortisone can damage the tendon and should be avoided if at all possible.

Recognizing tendonitis and treating it early by bringing down the inflammation and controlling swelling with ice and compression can prevent the injury from progressing and reduce the time needed to heal.

I.C.E. DOWN ice wraps deliver your ice and compression as conveniently as possible. The wraps are designed to fit specific body parts, and you can even take them with you to the court or the course.

To learn more about cold therapy and how I.C.E. DOWN can help you, or to place an order, please contact us today.