Tendons are the bands of tissue attaching bones to muscles. Muscles contract to make tendons move bones. When tendons get inflamed or irritated, they lose the ability to glide smoothly and movement becomes painful. This condition is known as tendonitis or tendinitis.

The most common areas that get affected by tendonitis are the elbows, shoulders, knees, hips, wrists, base of the thumb and achilles tendon. Tendonitis can affect men and women of all ages but there is a greater chance of it affecting those over 40 since aging causes tendons to lose their flexibility and become hard.

The symptoms of tendonitis include pain during movement, redness and inflammation in the area. As tendonitis progresses, even a simple touch can cause pain. Sometimes there is a burning sensation.

There are several causes of tendonitis:

• Repetitive motion
• Excessive exercise
• Exercising without warming up
• Hard manual work
• An injury that has not healed
• Rheumatoid arthritis and gout

Natural remedies for tendonitis:

• The best remedy is to allow the affected area to rest. Allow at least 3 weeks to recover
• Stop exercising or stop the repetitive activity causing pressure.
• Support the area with braces or straps.
• Gentle massage
• Physical therapy
• Herbs such as Boswellia and Turmeric are excellent for reducing inflammation. Herbal ayurvedic formulations such as Rumalaya Forte and Rumalaya Gel which contain Boswellia and other herbs and minerals are very effective in helping to reduce the pain and inflammation of tenditinis while recovering.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs are sometimes prescribed along with corticosteroids. However these generally have side effects are not good for long term use.