What’s Rice? – Pain Remedies for Your Tendonitis

People who are extraordinarily active are at risk for tendonitis, particularly if they perform repetitive tasks.

Computer users, athletes, golfers and tennis players are all prime candidates for tendonitis. Tendonitis occurs when the tendon suffers a small tear or becomes irritated and inflamed. A doctor can diagnose tendonitis through a medical history, and physical exam.

Sometimes the doctor will perform tests such as imaging or blood tests to rule out other medical conditions before making the diagnosis. A physical exam is, sometimes, all that is needed in order to make the diagnosis of tendonitis.

Once the diagnosis is made a treatment plan can be devised that will help to alleviate the pain, tenderness and inflammation associated with tendonitis. The pain is especially bothersome and individuals with tendonitis have several options available for pain relief.

Immediately upon the injury occurrence, the individual will likely be in acute pain. Immediately stop the activity that caused the pain. The individual should avoid this activity for a minimum of three weeks in order to rest the joint.

If it is not possible to avoid the activity such as using the computer which is the cause of the tendonitis and you need to use the computer in order to earn a living, then you will need to take as much time off as possible in the beginning and then when you return to the activity, use support to the area as much as possible (wrap with ace bandage).

As soon as possible you will want to receive pain relief and the quickest relief will be the RICE method, which is rest, ice, compression and elevation of the affected part.

This is something the individual can do at home to bring some relief as soon as possible. Wrap an ice pack around the affected body part (ankle, arm, shoulder, or groin. The pain should lessen within a half hour.

Believe it or not weight training can help to prevent tendonitis in the future and is thus a source of future pain prevention. Weightlifting will help to increase muscle mass. Ten to twenty repetitions are all you need to do.

Make sure you do some gentle stretches before and after the weight lifting. The weightlifting should involve the injured part. Hand weights should be used if the tendonitis has occurred in your arm.

Another way to avoid future tendonitis is to take frequent breaks especially if the cause of your tendonitis is work-related.

Tendonitis while not a serious injury can be very painful and it can become chronic if you do not take care of it properly. The tendon does need to heal and the inflammation reduced.

If you follow basic treatment plans such as RICE, avoiding the activity that caused the tendonitis, stretching and weight lifting after the injury has healed and trying your best to prevent future tendonitis you should reduce your pain now and in the future.

Learn more in depth information about tendonitis degenerative conditions and rotator cuff tendonitis.

By Lynn Doxley

How to Use the RICE Treatment for a Sports Injury

How to Use the RICE Treatment for a Sports Injury. This is a standard treatment for any sports injury – RICE. Inflammation is good sometimes, it helps protect and repair damaged tissue. You need to control scarring and reduce swelling.

RICE treatment: rest, ice, compression, elevation

Aircast CryCuff RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. It’s a tactic everyone should employ after an injury to relieve pain and prevent swelling and the earlier RICE treatment is started the better it works.

Tendonitis Elbow Treatment

What is the immediate treatment for golfers/tennis elbow? Pain and inflammation of the elbow joints are immediately treated with the R.I.C.E principle. The acronym R.I.C.E stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation.

Technorati Tags: repetitive injury, rice, Tendonitis, treatment

When most of us think of workplace injuries we think of the construction, industrial or manufacturing workers and we forget about the office worker.  Although office workers rarely suffer from injuries and accidents that are as visible as those of their counterparts in the construction, industrial and manufacturing sector, they still suffer injuries and deal with pain and suffering. 

Computers put office workers at risk of suffering from several different injuries – eyestrain, headache, back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. These injuries can cause permanent damage and symptoms should not be ignored.  It is important to have your computer and it’s components at the correct level to minimize the chances of being injured.  Your workspace should have an ergonomic study to ensure that you working with your equipment in the correct positions so that injuries and pain are minimized.  Periodic breaks are also necessary to avoid many of these injuries. At lunch time you should take some time away from your desk and take a walk.  Headaches are another cause of pain for office workers.  Stress and tension is likely the cause and you should take precautions to minimize the stress and tension in your workplace.  If your headaches continue you should consult your doctor.

Office workers are not immune to workplace injuries.  The most prevalent injuries result from the use of computers and can be minimized with the proper workstation planning.

Workplace Injuries

Threads Of Life is a charity to support people who have been severely impacted by workplace injuries and families of those who were killed by workplace injuries. 

Top Workplace Injuries

Which types of on-the-job injuries cause employees to miss the most time from work? Liberty Mutual Insurance has released its annual Workplace Safety | SafetyNewsAlert.com | Occupational safety and health news for workplace safety 

Technorati Tags: work place injuries, workplace injuries

Rotator Cuff Exercises – Prevent Injuries Before they Happen

Many people suffer from shoulder pain where a simple set of rotator cuff exercises could have saved then form the pain. In this article we’ll discuss the way to address the problem and prevent it.

This same preventitve care should be used for everyone to prevent repetitive stress injuries.

Many people who engage in various sports activities do not do any rotator cuff exercises or any other warm up exercises. Of course, the warm up has to be done before you start your main workout or any kind of sports games (golf, football, tennis etc.).

The reasons for not doing any warn up are usually laziness or ignorance, but the out can very well be severe.

Take Golfers for example. Many people believe that golf is a game for people who are too lazy to do any other, more intensive sports. That may be so, but will you be surprised to learn that thousands of golfers each year suffer form rotator cuff injuries, and seek medical help accordingly?

These folks could have treated themselves better, and would have saved themselves a world of pain, and medical bills. Same story applies for people who do other sorts of sports, work out in the gum, swim in the pool etc.

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m all for sports – it still has more advantages than dis advantages. And I do work out in the gum 3 times a week. The thing is – you need to acquire a few useful habits that will help you avid these kind of problems.

So, how could you make the best of your workout, and still have the best chance of avoiding rotator-cuff problems.

Well there are a few ways:

1. You need to warm up. Even 2 minutes of warm up before hitting the golf course, to the swimming pool will go a long way to help you stay on the safe side. There is a great verity of rotator cuff exercises aimed at loosening the area and making it lees vulnerable to stress and pain.

2. Stay fit and strengthen your muscles and tendons. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons that are responsible for the connection of the upper arm and the shoulder blade. Indeed, a very important group. Take good care of them by regularly doing exercises to strengthen the area. This will help you cope with all the strain and effort that area observes while doing an activity like swimming or golfing. Thus, reduce the chances of injury.

3. Consult your doctor. Especially if you had problems before, Consult your doctor regularly. This just might save you from and potential problems.

4. Listen to your body. If your rotator cuff is in pain, don’t push it. Take a rest, and see a doctor. Most problems are easy to fix if you attend them at the beginning and don’t wait till it gets worse.

The best way to deal with a problem is to avid creating it. Regular rotator cuff exercises will help you to build strength and endurance to the area, and will lessen the risk of getting hurt along the way.

Dave Green gives much more info about rotator cuff exercises and how to overcome pain and stiffness in the shoulders. Come on and follow along as I reveal more useful information on the matter.

Shoulder Exercises

A stiff and weak rotator cuff can lead to many problems from frozen shoulders to neck pain to carpal tunnel symptoms to not being able to reach an overhead shelf.

Rotator Cuff

These two factors; the repeatable nature of the golf swing, and subject of the rotator cuff to over use injuries point to the need of injury preventative rotator cuff exercises.

Strong and Healthy Shoulders

Keep your shoulders strong and healthy with these rotator cuff exercises! Rotator cuffs are a fragile area that needs constant attention.

Technorati Tags: elbow pain, exercises, rotator cuff, shoulder pain

Having spent the past twenty-five years using a computer keyboard, there seems to be no form of repetitive stress injury that I have not experienced at one time or another.  Sometimes it used to wake up in the middle of the night with my index finger stinging between the knuckle and the first joint by the nail.  Wow, did that ever hurt. Obviously I had been clicking on the mouse far too many times.

At other times I have experienced shooting pains on the top of my elbow where the tendon latches onto the bone – no doubt this is tennis elbow.  Once this cleared up I then experienced pain on the inside of my elbow and shooting down my arm which can be characterized as carpal tunnel syndrome and deQuervain’s tendonitis.  Okay, so what else is there?  How about bursitis in the upper arm — this means the outside of your arm aches all of the time. 

Given all these ailments that have been caused by doing computer work all the times, I had two choices.  1) Figure out how to reduce the stress on my arms and hands to alleviate the problem, or 2) quit doing computer work.  Well, since I make my living with the computer moving on to something completely different was not really that practical. Therefore, I needed to change the way that I sit at the computer in order to alleviate these repetitive motion injuries.

First and foremost was the purchase of an adjustable keyboard arm and tray.  The one I have moves in and out, up and down, and you can make the keyboard tilt towards you at difference angles.  What I do is to move the keyboard into different positions no and then especially if you are working in the keyboard for an extended period of time.

In order to alleviate the wrist pressure, you can purchase a wrist guard that fit like a glove over your wrist.  This prevents your wrist from bending which causes the tendon to scrape against the sheath (the carpal tunnel).  I have also used the keyboard wrist pad which is placed in front of the computer keyboard which does provide relief.  This works fine if your keyboard is at the correct height.  However, most desks are a standard 30 inches high which is fine for writing but is not that great for using a keyboard.

Another useful purchase is an ergonomic keyboard which curves and is set up in such a way that the arms and wrists are in the correct position while typing.  It seems weird at first but after a while you get used to it and this is very effective.

Now for those mouse clicking issues.  The first thing is to purchase an adjustable mouse tray.  This works similar to the adjustable keyboard tray and you can set it up so you can rest your arm on the chairs arm rest and then use the mouse without bending your arm.  Then pick up an ergonomically shaped mouse.  However, if you still seem to have issues after an extended use of the mouse then use the mouse with the other hand.  If you are right handed, simply transfer the mouse to you left hand.  Now this can be a bit tricky at first but in the long run it will save your arm.  The beauty of doing this is twofold.  First, you have moved the mouse to the hand that is not your dominant hand and have therefore reduced the use of the arm that was giving you trouble in the first place.  Secondly, you are clicking the mouse with your middle finger and not your index finger which reduces use of the index finger which causes the deQuervain’s tendonitis. 

Once I had instituted these measures I eliminated all of the pain issues I had using the computer. The only other thing I do is to make sure I get up, stretch and walk around at frequent intervals so that you are not in the same position all of the time. So rest assured, it is possible to get rid of all the ailments that occur from working on the computer.  

Technorati Tags: computer mouse carpal tunnel comfortable, repetitive stress injuries or tendonitis from computer use

Exercise And Children, What You Should Know

Your child of lets say eight years old tells you he or she wants to start exercising and that he or she wants to start lifting weights. Now you might want to know if this is really a good idea, if it is safe and if it will benefit your child or if it is not something that is recommended for children to do.

The long and short of it is, yes, it is beneficial to your child to partake in a weight training program but here are some things to keep in mind when getting your child into a weight training program.

Children are not miniature adults and so you cannot use the same methods on growing children as you can with adults as children are different from adults anatomically, physiologically and emotionally. Children have immature skeletons. Their bones do not mature until age 14 to 22 years old. In girls, exercise during childhood can have critical effects on bone health that can last for their whole lives.

Children are often vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatter’s disease. Children have immature temperature regulation systems due to having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass which makes them more susceptible to injury when not properly warmed up.

Children do not sweat as much as adults so they are also more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as heat stroke. Their low muscle mass and immature hormone system makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed and their breathing and heart responses during exercise are different from an adult’s which affects their capacity for exercise.

Now, boys and girls can greatly improve their strength with weight training but as opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible for these gains. When considering a program for a child, medical clearance should be obtained first and foremost. The best first approach for designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 to 12 and keep the work load appropriate for that range.

Workouts should be spread out to have at least 1 to 2 full days of rest between each workout and the main focus on every exercise performed should be on form and technique, not on weight lifted. Some guidelines to consider are: warm-up and stretching should be done before weight training. Start with light loads and make appropriate adjustments from there. No more than 3 non-consecutive exercise sessions should be done in a week and see that they drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.

Always remember that if at anytime your child is sick, has an injury of any kind or seems tired or non-energetic, do not have them exercise until you are sure they are better or until they have seen a doctor and have clearance from them.

By: Jim Oneill

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Jim O’Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle.

Technorati Tags: exercise + prevention of repetitive stress injuries, osgood schlatter, sclatter

One profession with a large occurrence of repetitive stress injuries (RSI) is dentistry.  This is due to the fine motor skills required to perform the tasks necessary for the job.  This situation can occur for dentists and dental hygienists as they are constantly performing repetitive tasks on their patients.

Not only the repetitive wrist and hand movements, but the awkward body positioning required to perform the tasks can also exacerbate this problem.  However, there are some preventative measures that dental career professional can take to alleviate these issues.

Many experts agree that the key to reducing stress in the work environment includes

·         avoiding as much as possible the repetitive tasks, award body positioning, and hand movements

·         performing stretching exercises at regular times

·         taking frequent breaks

There are also certain equipment and procedure issues that also need to be addressed.  Studies have found that the prolonged use of ambidextrous latex examination gloves, which were originally developed for brief examinations, can exert extra pressure against the thumb when the hand is in a working position.  This fatigues the thumb muscles and constricts the blood supply.  Therefore, it is more appropriate for dental personnel who wear latex gloves for long periods to use right and left-handed gloves.

Dental tool design can also play a factor in the avoidance of repetitive injuries and other cumulative trauma disorders in dental care. Of the three general types of handpieces, a straight-nose cone handpiece produces the most strain on the wrist and produces the greatest vibration to the joints while Autoclavable contra-angle handpieces and prophy-angle handpieces are more ergonomically designed and therefore results in less pressure on the wrist and fingers. 

Dental hygiene procedures can also result in carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. Scientific research has found that dental hygienists who spend a large percentage of their time doing scaling and root planning are more likely to develop these types of injuries.

Dental assistants can also exhibit repetitive stress symptoms as they are also required many times to assume awkward body positions and are frequently moving system cords and hoses which exert continuous pressure on the shoulders, arms, wrists and fingers. In order to reduce the likelihood of this occurring, good body mechanics, correct seating and ergonomic design of the office equipment can reduce this problem.

Article written by George WIlliams for Repetitve Injuries.

Technorati Tags: dental hygienists, dental repetitve stress injuries, dental tool design, dentists

All About Repetitive Strain Injury

Repetitive strain injury is an all too common problem that many people are actually quite unfamiliar with.

Also referred to as repetitive stress injury, this type of affliction is a result of the overuse of certain body parts while undergoing some type of constant much activity. As an example, someone who plays a musical instrument may begin to develop RSI.

With repetitive strain injuries, the muscles and the tendons that are located in the arms and the back are aggravated due to prolonged overuse. This particular disorder is associated with many different names, but the bottom line is that the pain can become chronic and if not treated and corrected can be difficult to cure.

Another common type of activity or occupational related activity where repetitive stress injury if frequently found is with assembly line workers. Because of the nature of the repetitiveness of their job, these people tend to be affected the most by this disorder.

Companies can adjust work environments and take measures to eliminate repetitive strain injuries with their employees by encouraging and educating their workforce on the use of proper posture, along with ensuring that stressful movements only occur for short times with regular breaks.

For those who are already afflicted with a case of RSI, stretching and strengthening the area of the body affected can go a long way toward the elimination of the pain.

There are many different types of repetitive stress injuries. Probably the most familiar being that of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Repetitive stress injury is a grouping type of condition that also includes Tendonitis, DeQuervain’s syndrome, as well as many other different individualized afflictions.

If you think that you may be experiencing some form of repetitive stress injury, it’s important for you to speak with your doctor.

Symptoms include recurring pain in a localized area of your body that you commonly use. Tingling or numbness in an area of your body that you regularly use may also be a warning sign that you should sooner rather than later.

Also, the muscles of the affected area may feel fatigued, and you may also find that you have a lack of strength present. It’s also important to note that these types symptoms in and of themselves don’t necessarily mean that the problem lies in the area where you are experiencing pain or numbness. As a case in point, a numbness of the hand may be the result of pinched nerves in your shoulder.

Since there are many different types of RSI, there are many different treatments used to relieve the specific symptoms. Options include physical therapy that directed at helping you to strengthen the area that is afflicted.

Immediate and temporary relief from RSI can usually be accomplished with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is used to reduce swelling which can reduce pain.

Keeping your body strengthened and flexible is a big key in both prevention and treatment.
Ultimately avoiding prolonged activity of repetitive stressful movements is your best defense against RSI. At the very least you should be vigilant in taking shorter more frequent breaks if your occupation requires this type of activity.

Healing a case of RSI will take patience and persistence on your part in order to make a full recovery, so be sure to put forth your best efforts.

By: Jeff Foster -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For more important information on repetitive stress injury be sure to visit www.rsi-aid.com where you will find advice and tips on repetitive stress injury treatment and repetitive strain injury and more on staying pain free.

Technorati Tags: overuse elbow injuries, repetitive stress injury rsi, wrist pain and swelling

How to Avoid Overuse of the Achilles Tendon in Sports and Ballet

One of the too-common dance injuries is that of the Achilles tendon. Runners and other athletes in sports training also suffer some overuse inflammation, and even rupture of the Achilles tendon.

This tendon depends on muscle strength in the calf and the foot, to retain proper use. Following are some self-care tips that will help you avoid overuse and injury of your Achilles tendons, and encourage courageous patience in better rehabilitation.

Tendonitis is all too-prevalent in dance injuries and sports injuries. In fact, when someone says "I have tendonitis" it usually refers to the Achilles tendon, without being explained, it is that common. Inflammation, or "itis" can occur in any area of the body. The Achilles tendon comes from the lower end of the calf muscles, and inserts, or is attached, to the heel bone. The calf muscles above, and the intrinsic foot muscles below, are supposed to do all the actual work in moving the foot flexed, or extended (pointed, in ballet).

If the foot can flex and stretch without changing its angle (curving outward, or sickling out in ballet, or curving inward, sickling in or ‘pigeon toes’), in most cases the tendon will not get irritated. This is presuming that when you are standing on an even surface, the foot is not sloping inward, what people think of as "fallen arches", or is not sloping outward toward the little toe edge of the foot.

Runners and other athletes often work on uneven surfaces and depend on both strength and supportive shoes to minimize the variation in foot angle as it strikes the ground or pushes off. Ballet dancers absolutely depend on foot strength to prevent misuse, as they do not generally wear supports in their ballet shoes and pointe shoes. If needed, however, orthotics, or foot levelers, can be worn in dance shoes.

If a dancer or athlete has bowed legs, or hyper-extended legs, there will be an angle created just to have the feet flat on the floor. If this situation is understood, the student can be taught how to avoid inflammation of the Achilles tendon through understanding, and correction of, or accurate compensation for, this particular anatomical detail.

Correcting the stance of hyper-extended legs by stacking the skeletal joints (ankles, knees, hips and on up) and holding turnout, will correct the natural pronation (fallen arches) of the feet on the floor. Sometimes this is not even visible to a glance in dancers, due to a strong built-up muscle structure that is deceptive. Even chiropractors and physiotherapists have to test dancers’ muscles extensively, in order not to miss this observation, until they gain experience with it.

As more and more athletes are studying ballet principles of turnout and footwork to gain an extra advantage in their performance, and prevent sports injuries, hopefully the area of hyper-extension will also be addressed.

Bowed legs require an angle of the foot, for it to be flat on the floor. In ballet, correct use of turnout, developing the intrinsic foot muscles, and always having the body weight placed correctly on the feet (hyper-extension and bowed legs tend to throw the weight back) minimizes the overuse and irritation of the Achilles tendon.

Both ballet dancers and athletes need the understanding that poorly developed foot muscles lead to exhausting the calf muscles. This in turn creates tension, loss of muscle tone and strength, and the Achilles tendon develops tendonitis.

Once inflammation has set in, rest, and icing must be applied. A courageous patience is needed in recovery, as the pressure to stay in the daily competitive drive for a an upcoming exam, performance or team try-out, must be resisted. You long term persistence in your chosen field depends on avoiding a chronic situation.

Ballet, dance, and sports injuries can be prevented. If you are a pre-pro, a would-be ballerina, a dedicated recreational dancer or athlete, study all you can about how to avoid overuse and injury of your Achilles tendon.

Find out how a would-be ballerina and men in ballet get exactly the right fit in ballet shoes and pointe shoes, prevent dance injuries, get The Perfect Pointe Book, The Ballet Bible, and Deborah Vogel’s products on injury prevention and functional anatomy. Dianne M. Buxton trained at The National Ballet School of Canada, The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and Toronto Dance Theater.

Technorati Tags: achilles tendon, sports stress injuries

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