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Tendon pain
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Pain in the tendons is the most common complaint with which one usually consults a doctor. This symptom is noted by patients almost at the same frequency as pressure drops.
The tendon is the formation, which is a connective tissue, the terminal structure of the striated muscles, by means of which they are attached to the bones of the skeleton.
The tendon includes compact parallel bundles of collagen fibers. Between them are arranged rows of fibrocytes (tendon cells). Often, the formation of tendons involves collagen of the first type, in addition, there may be collagen fibers of the third and fifth types. Collagen beams are held together by proteoglycans. Parallel to the collagen fibers are blood vessels that have transverse anastomoses. Due to its structure, the tendons are of high strength and low extensibility.
The form of the tendons is diverse - both cylindrical (often in long muscles) and flat, lamellar (aponeurosis of the broad muscles).
Diseases that cause pain in tendons
Pain in the tendons can be a consequence of the defeat of the tendon apparatus, which takes place in the form of diseases such as tendonitis, tendonosis and tendosynovitis.
There are 3 degrees of tendonitis:
- acute inflammation;
- when the inflammation starts, the coarse connective tissue begins to grow at an accelerated rate;
- the transition of the inflammatory process into a chronic form and the destructive changes in the tendon are capable of provoking its rupture.
Most often, this ailment affects the tendons that are in the shoulder girdle and upper limb (in particular the tendon in the biceps muscle of the shoulder). Among the factors that can lead to such traumas are movements of a monotonous nature, prolonged physical training with insufficient pauses for rest, flaws in sports equipment, the age of the athlete and the wrong technique are very important.
Tendinosis is the degeneration and atrophy of fibers located within the tendon of non-inflammatory origin, which is most often associated with chronic tendonitis. It is capable of provoking a partial or complete rupture of the tendon, which will accompany pain in the tendons.
Tendosinovit is an inflammatory process that occurs in the paratendon (the external vagina of certain tendons, it is lined by the synovial membrane). For example, the tendon of the extensor of the thumb can be affected, if a person suffers from tenosynovitis de Courvene.
Tendonitis is an irritation or inflammation of the tendon, a thick tissue that connects the muscles and bone. This ailment often causes frequent physical exertion on the affected area, and also a serious injury. There are types of activities, for example, sports and a number of others, which can increase the risk of developing this disease. So, if you are engaged in gardening, raking rake, carpentry, shoveling, painting, cleaning something (using a scraper or a hard brush), tennis, playing golf, skiing, throwing, you risk "earn" tendonitis .
If at work and at home you have a wrong posture, not enough good stretching before performing sports exercises, it also increases the risk of tendonitis. Other risk factors include:
- deviation in the structure and location of bones (for example, different length of legs or arthritis of the joint), which increase the load on soft tissues;
- other ailments, for example, arthritis (rheumatoid, psoriatic, thyroid gland), gout, as well as a specific reaction of the body to medicines;
- infection.
Any person can become a tendinitis, but most often it is observed in people of mature age. Over time, tendons become decrepit, they become more stressed, lose elasticity, and become more vulnerable.
Tendonitis can affect almost every part of the body where the tendon connects muscles and bone. Often it affects the calcaneus tendon, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, the base of the thumb.
The symptom of tendonitis, first of all, is pain in the tendons and adjacent areas. The pain syndrome can increase with increasing, and can manifest spontaneously and be acute, especially if there are deposits of calcium. In addition, among the symptoms, there is a decrease in the level of mobility of the shoulder, the so-called "adhesive capsulitis", or Dupley syndrome.
One of the causes of pain in the tendons is the rupture of a healthy tendon. The rupture occurs when the load on it exceeds all possible limits and the mechanical endurance level of the tissues. If the tendon has experienced significant overload for a long time, the process of degeneration and dystrophy begins to develop. The degeneration of the tendon tissue can depend on the violation of blood supply, metabolic disorders, chronic inflammation and hypothermia.
The rupture of the tendon is of two types: incomplete and complete. It occurs along the length of the tendon or in the place where it is attached to the bone. At the same time, detachment of the bone fragment does not occur. If there were no degenerative changes in the tendon, its separation from the attachment site happens very rarely. This type of injury can be affected tendon of the supraspinatus at the point where they are attached to the large tubercle of the humerus, the tendon of the biceps muscle at the point where it is attached to the acromial process of the scapula, the tendon of the biceps muscle that attaches to the tuberosity on the radius and the coracoid process scapula (rarely seen). In addition, the tendon of the triceps brachii muscle is able to detach from the elbow process. Slightly more often, one can come across a case of detachment of a tendon dilatation (aponeurosis) of the extensor of the finger, provided there is a dislocation in the interphalangeal joint.
On the lower extremities, the tendon of the quadriceps muscle of the shoulder is most often detached, which is attached to the upper part of the patella, as well as the case when the Achilles tendon breaks away from the calcaneus calcaneus
Ruptures of other tendons almost never occur. If there is a rupture of the tendon, the victim experiences pain in the tendons at the point of separation, which occurs spontaneously, with strong physical activity, throws, jumps. There is a violation of movement in the affected muscle. Appear edema and swelling. If there is a complete detachment of the tendon, its end, which is connected to the muscle, goes along the length of the muscle, and the muscle itself becomes shorter and takes the form of a tubercle. The rupture of the tendons at their entire length in a place that is remote from the attachment point on the upper limbs is rare, and often incomplete.
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