tendonitis

If some of the activities you regularly participate in require repetitive movements like tennis, golf, gardening, or frequent overhead reaching, you may have experienced tendonitis. Tendonitis is characterized by a dull ache, pain, or discomfort that is worse with a specific activity. It is sometimes accompanied by swelling. Tendonitis may mean that you have to stop activities that may bring you joy or are a necessity in daily life. At Gotham Holistic Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine, our professional acupuncturist has years of experience treating chronic pain and helping her patients to reduce tendonitis pain, regain movement and strength, and most importantly to return to activities that had been put on hold. 

What Is Tendonitis?

Tendons are strong cords of connective tissue that attach muscles to bones. Tendonitis (or tendinitis) is a condition in which a tendon becomes inflamed and irritated, often resulting in swelling, pain, and discomfort. Tendonitis is most often caused by repetitive movement over time, though it can also be caused by an injury or other disease factors including arthritis. You may have heard of Golfer’s elbow or Tennis elbow; these are two types of tendonitis that can result from playing these sports. In both cases, the pain is at the elbow and the cause is a repetitive movement involving the arm, which also involves vibration or impact as the golf club or tennis racket makes contact with the ball. However, not all movements that cause tendonitis involve impact, nor do they all involve the elbow. Tendonitis can occur at any tendon, but it most commonly affects the elbow, knee, shoulder, hip, and Achilles tendon. A related condition called tenosynovitis can also affect the fingers. Some signs that you may have tendonitis include:

Acupuncture is an effective and non-invasive treatment for many people with tendonitis. Acupuncture can help to reduce recovery time, reduce pain, and improve mobility. Length and frequency of treatment needed depends on the details of each particular patient and will be proportional to how long standing the condition is.

Benefits of Acupuncture for Tendonitis

While rest is often prescribed for tendonitis, it can take a long time to recover from tendonitis with rest alone. The type of tissue that makes up tendons do not receive as much blood flow as other types of tissue like muscles, which is part of the reason for long recovery times. Acupuncture can help to drastically reduce recovery time and get you back to your normal activities sooner. Here are some of the ways it works:

The Holistic Approach to Tendonitis

If you think you have tendonitis and would like to find out how acupuncture can help you, get started with a complimentary consultation at Gotham Holistic Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine. During the consultation you’ll meet with our licensed and experienced acupuncturist to discuss your health history and goals to determine if you are a good candidate for our treatments. If appropriate, you’ll receive a personalized treatment plan. Get started with holistic tendonitis pain-relief by booking your appointment today!

Studies on Acupuncture for Tendonitis

1. Zhou Y, Guo Y, Zhou R, Wu P, Liang F, Yang Z. Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Pain Res Manag. 2020 Mar 20;2020:8506591. doi: 10.1155/2020/8506591. PMID: 32318130; PMCID: PMC7114772.
2. Gadau M, Yeung WF, Liu H, Zaslawski C, Tan YS, Wang FC, Bangrazi S, Chung KF, Bian ZX, Zhang SP. Acupuncture and moxibustion for lateral elbow pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 Apr 12;14:136. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-136. PMID: 24726029; PMCID: PMC4012509.