Although playing sports is a great way to have a healthy life, prolonged overuse or poor form may lead to injury. In particular, “tendinitis” is a condition typically experienced by sport players or those who perform strenuous exercises. Tendinitis is a commonly found injury… that sport addicts should not disregard.
Tennis elbow… Lateral epicondylitis
Cause: Prolonged overuse of lower part of arms or sudden injury can lead to an inflammation of tendons that attach to the lateral epicondyle (the outer side of the elbow bone). This condition is often found in tennis or badminton players.
Symptom: Pain associated with movements of the outer side of the elbow. Another symptom include pain in the wrist or back of a hand, especially with movements such as hard flicking of wrist, reaching for objects, or hand shaking.
Golfer’s elbow… Medial epicondylitis
Cause: Overuse in the flexor group muscles (the medial or inner side of the elbow) results in inflammation. Some patients may experience a tendinitis. This condition is commonly found in golfers. This is because flexor pronator muscles are used strenuously in golfing. As a result, rarely-used muscles in daily life are more prone to injury.
Symptom: Pain in the inner (medial) side of the elbow…, which worsens while extending or only moving the elbow. Severe symptom involves pain with slight wrist or elbow movements.
Pitcher’s shoulder or Swimmer’s shoulder… Rotator cuff tendinitis
Cause: Due to its nature…, all strokes in swimming may lead to rotator cuff injury. The repetitive overhead arm movements involved in swimming result in friction in the rotator cuff. Moreover, sudden movements or stops in the overhead-arm position can cause tendon injury from reflective force. Meanwhile, a sport that involves prolonged and repetitive throwing motions, such as baseball, also results in rotator cuff tendinitis as well.
Symptom: A patient usually experiences sharp pain at night. The pain may alleviate from time to time and may interfere with sleep, particularly when lying on the injured side. However, if a torn rotator cuff occurs from forceful impact or prolonged overuse, the patient may experience weakness in activities that involve lifting or rotating shoulders.
Jumper’s knee… Patellar tendinitis
Cause: Jumping… involves sudden and intense thigh muscle contraction, leading to a hard pull and tear of patellar tendon underneath the kneecap. It is usually experienced by athletes who use knee joints in jumping, such as high jumpers, basketball or volleyball players.
Symptom: A patient often experiences anterior knee pain, especially below or around the kneecap, while walking or running. However, in case of a severe tear, the pain may persist even at rest.
