tendonitis...Tendonosis what the &%@#

So I also sometimes post on a runners forum, which is kind of funny because I do not think of myself as a runner. Just someone that runs. Anywho, I posted about my tendonitis to see if any of the experienced runners out there that had this condition any advice. You know...

Well some well meaning guy came on and filled my already spinning head with notions of tendonosis as opposed to tendonitis and the end of my sports career FOREVER....Should I just cut off the offending appendage NOW?

Oh and like an IDIOT I googled it..at his suggestion....

Oh lordy...I know he meant well, but jeez...

Well, since you asked...

DON'T FREAK OUT.

First let me say that calling this a tendonosis is putting the cart before the horse. If it is a tendonosis, the recovery is longer and the treatment more involved.

However, we have no evidence in your case that this is anything but a tendinitis at this point. And, treating it as such is the best option. Now, if 3 weeks of rest goes by and you're not significantly better, well, then we worry about a tendonosis and you go for more testing. If it is a tendonosis and we're treating it like a tendonitis, you are no worse for the wear, it just won't get better as fast as a tendinitis will.

Here's a link with more information on the matter:

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2000/05_00/khan.htm

Remember, DON'T PANIC.

Well,
ok...no freaking...here is where I am. The initial screaming soreness has receded to an ache when the leg is weighted. It does not hurt when I sit, or sleep. It hurts when I swing my leg forward to walk. It did not hurt to spin on the bike, but I have only done that once so far for 30 mins on the trainer.

Some days it hurts more than others, some times of the day it hurts more than others. Ice feels good. NSAIDS are not helping.

I am at the end of week two, starting in to week three.

So maybe, I am still an itits.....

ahhh...stupid knees, bad original design on that one.

My DH has had some weird "symptoms" lately, including a lot of swelling in a knee he had a meniscus tear opearted on 8 months ago. He started Googling. PLEASE STOP! His doc even told him that a LOT of what is out there on the internet related to health issues is cr*p! Some of it may be ok, but not all of it. He literally made himself nuts (oh - and he had every weird disease known to man for awhile).

Listen to your Doctor, and remember what is posted on this health forum's sticky - that should apply to all other forums where we post about health-related issues as well.

SheFly

So I'm going to take the advice here and NOT Google tendonosis.

Rocknrollgirl...I sympathize with your plight. I was diagnosed with tendonitis in my ankle 8 weeks ago. I know I'm depressed from my injury. I am scared to get on the scale because I'm sure I've gained at least 10 pounds in two months. I'm also scared that my cycling days are over. And I don't want to go back to the Dr. or the PT because my insurance deductible reset on January 1 and I can't afford any more medical bills!

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I want to share what's going on with my stupid foot. I feel like a baby complaining to friends and family, so I'm going to vent here instead! Yup, I'm a big whiner!

So at this point, I'm almost pain free but there is still a lot of swelling in my foot and ankle. In the evenings, I still have pitting edema on the inside of my ankle. The PT said the swelling might last a while (I did 5 weeks of PT...unfortunately, it was not a good first PT experience and I think it set me back a few weeks...hopefully any future PT experiences will be better ones!). I'm spinning on the trainer, but I'm scared to death to go out and do a ride. How do I know the acute tendonitis isn't going to come right back? I did try skiing this week...yes, that may be crazy...but I bought a season pass in the fall and I really want to get my money's worth out of it! Plus I figured my tight ski boots would offer ample ankle support. Everything felt fine for about 3-1/2 hours worth of skiing and I went home after 4 hours. The result has been just a little more pain and a quite a bit more swelling. I was going to try and do an easy ride on the bike trail this weekend but now I'm thinking I shouldn't push it. I don't know where the balance is between strengthening my ankle and re-injuring it. Frustration doesn't begin to express how I'm feeling about this!

So...could this be tendonosis? Or is it just tendonitis that's taking it's sweet time to heal up? I am praying that this just goes away and I can get back to normal again!

Oh Sara...

I am so with you...frustrating does not even begin to cover it. I feel like I just sit here day by day and it is not getting better.
I understand your fear too. I am already concerned about how to start back up if I EVER get better. Totally paranoid about irritating it again.

The doc told me Monday I could spin on the trainer, so I tried 30 mins. It did not hurt at all, but the next day I was very sore, so I have not tried again. I am really at a loss.

THIS STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had tendonitis when I was in high school and it has not come back since (I'm 26 now). I think there are two really important things to keep in mind:

1. Recovery...It sucks to take time off, but it's really important to give your body time to heal. Taking six weeks off now is better than being off permanently because you didn't take the time to heal. Tendonitis is nothing more than inflammation. You have to wait until the inflammation subsides before putting more stress on the tendon. I don't know that going on a four hour ski trip is the best way to guarantee that your tendonitis won't become tendonosis....

2. Figure out what you were doing wrong...Often times tendonitis is caused some sort of break in your form, regardless of the type of activity. If you don't figure out what you were doing wrong, chances are the inflammation will come back.

Good Luck!