Stress or injuries that come with wear and tear as you
age can lead to inflammation associated with calcific
tendonitis or calcification. Calcific tendonitis can
interfere with normal functioning as calcium deposits
get in the way of the smooth movement of the joints.
Simply defined, calcific tendonitis is the build-up of
calcium salts in a tendon that often affects the
shoulder joints as well as other joints. While experts
aren’t sure what causes calcific tendonitis, they
suspect calcium deposits form when pressure on the
tendons cause damage or when there is not sufficient
oxygen to the tendon tissues.
There are two kinds of calcific tendonitis: reactive
calcification, which is associated with shoulder pain,
and degenerative calcification caused by the wear and
tear of aging. Reactive calcification, experienced by
younger calcific tendonitis patients, is often caused by
lifting, tennis, gardening, weightlifting, shoveling and
hammering. Although it may affect anyone, people over
the age of 40 are more likely to experience calcific
tendonitis of the shoulder.
Calcific tendonitis occurs in the tendons of the rotator
cuff, which is composed of several tendons that connect
the muscles around your shoulder to the larger bone of
the upper arm.
The shoulder pain associated with calcific tendonitis is
related to calcium deposits that usually form on the
tendon in the rotator cuff called the supraspinatus
tendon.
You may feel only mild pain while the calcium is being
deposited. However, when the deposits are being
reabsorbed, calcific tendonitis becomes very painful. In
fact, some people lose motion in their shoulder and are
unable to lift their arm as the stiffness of calcific
tendonitis worsens. If you think you may have calcific
tendonitis, see your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.
Get Soothing Relief for Tendonitis
People with calcific tendonitis show several signs and
symptoms of the condition such as restriction of
movement. Patients with calcific tendonitis often
experience pain when sleeping on the injured side. Other
common symptoms of calcific tendonitis include onset of
pain that is unrelated to shoulder position or activity,
pain down the side of the arm and in the shoulder. Also,
it’s not unusual for people with calcific tendonitis to
feel pain when lifting their arm overhead.
Instead of trying conventional medical treatments for
calcific tendonitis, some people work on strengthening
their body. There are numerous ways to treat calcific
tendonitis, and your physician can help you decide what
is best for you.
Knowing what to expect when it comes to treating your
calcific tendonitis may at least alleviate some of the
psychological pain of the unknown. One approach,
ultrasound therapy, may break up calcium deposits, but
it does not repair the damaged tendon or ease the pain
of calcific tendonitis.
First, you can expect your doctor to do a thorough
physical exam of your shoulder or body part affected by
calcific tendonitis. After taking a detailed medical
history, the doctor will take an x-ray to determine the
location of calcium deposits. Your initial treatment
might include anti-inflammatory medication, such as
ibuprofen, for pain management and rest. Next, your
doctor may want to give you a cortisone injection to
temporarily relieve inflammation and swelling related to
calcific tendonitis.
Get Rid
of Tendonitis Pain for Good
Plan on working with a physical therapist for about two
months as part of your calcific tendonitis
rehabilitation plan. Treatments for your calcific
tendonitis may involve heat or ice as well as hands-on
treatments and exercises to improve range of motion in
your shoulder. Your calcific tendonitis treatment will
incorporate strengthening exercises to control of the
rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles.
If
you are not healed through less invasive methods, your
doctor may opt to correct calcific tendonitis of the
shoulder through arthroscopic surgeries. Your surgeon
will locate the calcium deposit in the rotator cuff
tendon, and then use the small instruments to remove the
calcium deposits and rinse the area. Sometimes, but not
very often, open surgery is a last resort for people
with calcific tendonitis.
During open surgery, the surgeon cuts through muscles
and other surrounding tissues to the calcium deposits.
The surgeon rinses the area to get rid of calcium
crystals before stitching the muscles and skin together.
Therapy, including range-of-motion exercises, can
progress quickly after a simple arthroscopic resection.
However, the therapy is slow after open surgery. You
won’t begin range-of-motion exercises for several weeks,
but instead will begin with passive movements at home.
EliminateTendonitis Pain once and for all --
with proven natural supplements for tendinitis
pain relief!