What is Tendonitis?
A tendon is a tough, cord-like fiber that connects muscle to bone. Tendonitis happens when a tendon becomes inflamed. This often occurs because a muscle becomes tight and irritated, causing the tendon to be pulled while the muscle is contracted or in spasm. Tendonitis is always related to muscle irritation.

How Does Tendonitis Happen?
Tendonitis can result from a long-term muscle injury or irritation. If muscle pain is ignored, it can develop into tendonitis. This is true for different types of tendonitis, such as rotator cuff, shoulder, or bicep tendonitis.

How to Treat Shoulder Tendonitis
To heal, you need to relax, balance, and loosen the muscles in the shoulder, neck, back, and even the hips. This will help reduce pain. After that, it’s important to strengthen the muscles in ways that don’t cause pain. Strengthening stabilizes the muscles and joints.

There are many methods for doing this. One effective technique is the Nimmo/Receptor Tonus Technique. This trigger point therapy helps loosen, balance, and calm down muscle spasms that are pulling on the tendons and causing tendonitis. The healing process can be sped up significantly when combined with deep tissue red light laser therapy.

On days when you’re not receiving therapy, stretching and icing the area can also help with healing.

Starting Treatment
I usually suggest starting with a chiropractor who specializes in soft tissue work. They can help relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and address any muscle dysfunction.

When irritated muscles become tight, they start pulling on the tendon, irritating it further. Be cautious when working with healthcare professionals. If a physical therapist tells you the injured area is weak and only focuses on strengthening it, you might end up making things worse. It’s crucial to loosen the muscles and joints first. Strengthening a joint while it’s tight and painful can drive the dysfunction deeper into your system, making recovery harder.

Don’t Ignore Your Pain
The longer you ignore tendonitis, the longer it will stick around. Get your shoulder pain diagnosed and follow a treatment plan.

Best Stretch for Shoulder Tendonitis
For right shoulder tendonitis:

• Place your right hand behind you and try to touch the bottom of your left shoulder blade with your palm facing out.
• Don’t force it; get to a comfortable position where you feel a slight stretch.
• Keep your elbow in by your side, not sticking out.
• Lean back against a wall with your heels and head touching the wall, looking straight ahead.

You may feel pulling in the front of your shoulder or arm. This stretch helps loosen the neck, scapula, shoulder, and arm. If it’s not enough, you can do the same stretch while lying flat on your back.

Final Thoughts
Take care of your shoulder, and don’t let tendonitis linger. Address it early for a quicker recovery.

Have a pain-free day!