Tendinitis is a common affliction for athletes, musicians, office workers, and people who engage in repetitive motion as a part of their job or hobby.
While tendinitis can impact any tendon in your body, it is most common in heavily-used joints like the shoulders, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles.
If you have tendinitis and are looking for an alternative therapy that can not only speed your healing, but reduce your pain and other symptoms, PEMF therapy may be able to help.
This technology has a proven history of helping heal tissue, reduce inflammation, and improve range of motion.
Your muscles are attached to your bones with thick, fibrous cords known as tendons.
When these tendons become inflamed or irritated, you have what is known as tendinitis.
Tendinitis is characterized by tenderness and pain in the area of the affected joint.
Tendinitis can occur in any tendon in your body, but some areas are more prone to developing this condition.
Tendinitis is common in the tendons in your elbows, wrists, shoulders, heels, and knees, as these joints move a lot and are subject to regular, significant stress.
Tendinitis can be called by other names, depending on what joint is affected.
Some common forms of this disorder include golfer’s or tennis elbow, swimmer’s or pitcher’s shoulder, and jumper’s knee.
How can you tell if you have tendinitis?
Signs of tendinitis will appear in joints where tendons attach muscles to bones.
The most common symptoms of this disorder include:
These symptoms can occur while the area is in use, but may also be felt chronically.
While this disorder is common and sometimes mild, it can become debilitating if left untreated.
Loss of range of motion is common in severe cases of tendinitis, which is why proper treatment is important.
Seek relief from this condition if you notice your symptoms are not attenuating with time or improving with rest.
The elastic bands known as tendons provide stability to your joints, and ensure their free range of motion.
Any tendon is subject to the irritation and inflammation that causes tendinitis, but those joints that are used most often are typically the most commonly afflicted.
Repetitive movement is the usual cause of tendinitis, as it causes prolonged stress and gradual wear on the joint.
Sudden trauma, such as from an accident or injury, can also, however, cause this condition.
Athletes, those whose job requires repetitive movement, and people who engage in activities that rely on a specific joint, are common sufferers from this condition.
Tennis elbow, for example, was originally so named because it affected those who regularly played tennis, but it can be found in just about anyone who engages in work or play that regularly uses the elbow joint.
Those who type a great deal may experience tendinitis in the wrist, while weightlifters can irritate their bicep tendon.
As you age, over time your tendons become less flexible, making them more susceptible to injury and inflammation due to conditions such as tendinitis.
Your job may put you at risk for tendinitis.
Those who regularly engage in repetitive motions, are in awkward positions for long periods, or whose bodies are subject to vibrations or forceful exertion, are at an increased risk of developing tendinitis.
Athletes are much more likely to develop this disorder, due to the repetitive motion and stress on joints that some sports entail.
Basketball, bowling, golf, baseball, tennis, swimming, and running are frequent contributors to tendinitis.
Reducing the pain and inflammation associated with tendinitis is usually accomplished with a combination of rest, physical therapy, and medications.
Depending, though, on the cause of the inflammation and which tendon is affected, the severity of your condition may vary significantly.
The most commonly-prescribed treatments include resting the affected joint, and avoiding activities that create pain or increase inflammation.
By stopping the offending movement for some time, you can give the joint an opportunity to heal.
Wearing a protective brace and only engaging in limited activity can also help address symptoms.
Taking over-the-counter medications can reduce both the pain and the inflammation.
NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, are the most frequently-used to treat tendinitis symptoms.
In more severe cases, tendinitis may not be relieved by these treatments.
Physical therapy may be necessary to correct poor form, or to strengthen surrounding muscles.
Cortisone injections are sometimes used to reduce inflammation at the joint.
If left untreated, tendinitis can result in a tendon rupture, which is when the tissue tears completely.
This type of injury may require surgery or other interventions to heal.
When tendinitis does not respond to other treatments, surgery may be performed either to mend any tears in the tendon, or to remove scar tissue which may be causing irritation.
If you want to reduce your chances of developing tendinitis, or ensure it does not develop again after your tendon has healed, you can use the following techniques.
Tendinitis is the result of inflammation where the tendon meets the bone.
Inflammation is actually a response your body has in order to repair damaged tissues and restore normal function.
Inflammation means the area is receiving increased blood flow, which brings to it more macrophages and leukocytes to support cellular regeneration.
The cells that compose your body’s tissues all have tiny electrical charges.
Cells that are traumatized, such as those that are chronically-inflamed by tendinitis, have a reduced electrical charge, which shuts down their normal function and operation.
PEMF therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation successfully by recharging cells using a mild electromagnetic current (1).
PEMF reduces both pain and the flow of the inflammatory fluids which increase swelling and promote further irritation.
PEMF increases blood flow and improves oxygen intake, which leads to faster healing and less pain in patients with chronic inflammation such as tendinitis.
Scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have recently studied animal models to determine the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields similar to those used in PEMF therapy on the healing of tendinitis in Achilles tendons (2).
In the randomized trial, injured tendons were exposed to 15-minute sessions of PEMF pulses of either 15 or 46 Hz each day.
These results were compared with those from similar injuries exposed to Pulsed Magnetic Fields (PMF) of 17 or 50 Hz.
All results were compared to those from injuries in a control group, where animal participants were given sham treatment using no electrical pulses.
Measurements of the tendons’ water content, weight, and overall appearance at various points after the initial injury were taken and compared.
While tendons in all participants eventually healed, those exposed to PEMF and PMF treatments had lower water content after seven days, indicating a reduction in swelling.
By the end of the treatment period, which was 28 days, those animals who had received PEMF at 17 Hz showed more physiological alignment of their collagen fibers than others.
In this experiment, the application of electromagnetic fields decreased the healing time and improved the overall repair of the damaged tissue.
If similar effects happen in humans, rehabilitation from tendinitis and other injuries could begin more quickly and take less time than without such treatments.
As we continue to learn more about the effects of PEMF on inflammatory injuries such as tendinitis, we will gain better research insights into its other benefits and applications.
A 2004 study published in the Journal of Orthopedic Research examined the link between PEMF therapy and arteriolar microvessel function.
This animal trial measured the diameter of arteriolar microvessels both before and after application of PEMF stimulation.
Results indicated that PEMF positively impacted vasodilation, which means more blood was flowing to the area.
Results of this study indicate that PEMF is an appropriate therapeutic tool in areas where blood flow is impeded.
PEMF can improve blood circulation and widen vessels, meaning it has multiple applications for use in healing damaged tissue (3).
An early study on the relationship between PEMF and soft-tissue repair found positive effects and correlation between this type of therapy and tissue rejuvenation.
Published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery, the studies’ authors noted improved wound healing after application of PEMF treatment (4).
More research is needed in this area to affirm correlations between the use of this type of therapeutic tool and soft tissue repair, but these results show promise for future research and study.
Tendinitis and other joint problems often impact range of motion for any given joint.
PEMF has been shown to be effective at improving range of motion in some patients.
Clinical Rheumatology’s publication of a 1996 clinical study on 34 patients illustrated the effectiveness of PEMF as a therapeutic tool, both for reducing cervical osteoarthritis-induced pain and for improving range of motion.
Patients with neck pain reported, after treatment with PEMF, decreased pain intensity, fewer muscle spasms, and improved ability to move their neck (5).
Athletes are at an increased risk both for tendinitis and for other joint and muscle injuries. Muscles exposed to PEMF can work harder for longer periods, and they recover more quickly after use.
Therefore, PEMF could allow athletes to train longer and harder, with fewer rest periods between sessions.
PEMF also decreases pain after strenuous use because tissues are able to repair faster.
Athletes who regularly use PEMF can avoid injuries and experience less pain.
The greatest success for athletes who use PEMF comes when it’s employed both before and after workouts.
PEMF stimulates the generation of energy in the muscles, a process called myosin phosphorylation.
The benefit to your energy output can be as much as five times greater than without PEMF.
When you exercise strenuously, your muscles produce heat shock proteins to slow cellular breakdown and improve your recovery time.
PEMF enhances this process by further stimulating the production of these proteins.
Athletes who use PEMF are also able to improve the use of oxygen by specific muscles, with some studies showing a minimum of a 1 percent improvement with minimal application, which is enough to greatly enhance performance.
Like tendinitis, arthritis is an inflammatory problem.
PEMF therapy was definitively shown by researchers to improve arthritis symptoms, in a 1998 study published in the Journal of the Indian Medical Association.
Sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis could benefit significantly from PEMF therapy, according to this study (6).
Tendinitis is a common disorder that can strike anyone, from athletes to those who engage due to a job or hobby in repetitive movements.
When the band of tissue that connects your muscle to your bone becomes irritated, it can result in the telltale tendinitis symptoms of pain, swelling, tenderness, and inflammation.
PEMF can be used to reduce inflammation, increase blood flow, and promote faster healing of tissues affected by tendinitis.
As a therapy, PEMF has the power to speed healing, relieve symptoms, and increase your joints’ range of motion.
Richard Hoover is a PEMF expert and content contributor to PEMF Advisor. With a bachelor’s degree in physics and multiple certifications in natural health programs, he is one of the best PEMF experts around.
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