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June 19, 2013
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Repetitive Motion Injuries (cont.)

Medical Author:
Samuel J Haraldson, MD
Coauthor:
Barbara J Blasko, MD
Medical Editor:
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Medical Treatment

  • Tendinitis is best treated with immobilization and ice during the early phase and moist heat during the long-term phase.
  • Bands placed around the elbow may be used for tennis elbow and golfer's elbow.
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen), may be prescribed to reduce the inflammation. All NSAIDs should be taken with meals to avoid stomach upset.
  • If your tendinitis or bursitis is not improved by NSAIDs, the doctor may choose to inject steroids into the surrounding area of inflammation. As a rule, you should not have more than three injections into the same area within a 12-month period.
  • You should begin graduated range-of-motion exercise once your symptoms begin to improve.
  • An exception to this type of treatment is shoulder involvement.
    • The shoulder should not be immobilized for more than 24-48 hours in order to minimize frozen shoulder, called adhesive capsulitis.
    • You should have physical therapy in addition to ultrasound and warm water baths.
    • The goal in treatment of shoulder tendinitis is first and foremost to maintain full range of motion of the shoulder joint, and relieving the symptoms is secondary.
  • The treatment of inflammatory bursitis is similar to that of tendinitis.
  • Rest, ice, and elevate your arm or leg.
  • Alternative treatments include pain-killing creams, capsaicin cream (an over-the-counter pain relief cream made from an ingredient of cayenne pepper), and steroid medications if you are able to take them.
  • If your bursitis is caused by an infection, treatment will include the appropriate antibiotics.
  • Steroid injection may be used but only for inflammatory bursitis. Steroid injections should be avoided in infectious bursitis because they may increase the body's susceptibility to infection.

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Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Overuse Injury »

Overuse injuries, otherwise known as cumulative trauma disorders, are described as tissue damage that results fromrepetitive demand over the course of time.

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