It is a structure which anchors a muscle to the skeleton and is needed to transmit muscular contraction to the bones.
Tendonitis is an inflammation of a tendon and tenosinovitis is the inflammation of its covering sheath, usually they are simultaneous.
The cause is not always known. Generally excessive and/or repetitive movements are implicated. More rarely they can be secondary to systematic illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and renal insufficiency.
Pain during movement is the predominant symptom, if the sheath accumulates liquid; swelling also appears to the point of making movement impossible.
The hardest hit areas are that of the articular shoulder capsule, the ulna and radial flexors of the carpal, finger flexors, long abductor tendons and short extensors of the thumb. (De Quervain), Achilles tendon.
Epidemiological studies have shown a high risk in workers of manufacturing industries and butchers, relating to working age, strength used and repetition of movements. The shower where the dorsal hand and wrist tendons are situated is of reduced dimension and pressure, which is determined with repetitive activity, may inflame the tendon.
The complete resolution of the pathology may need a long time (1 –2 months) and various therapies may be used: rest, immobilisation (positional showers, corsets and splints), infiltration, physiotherapy and more rarely chirurgical exploration.
- Policarpal: tendonitis treatment