Tendonitis Surgery: Only As a Last Resort

If you are suffering from the pain and limited mobility of tendonitis, you are probably ready to sign up for tendonitis surgery, but stop for a moment before rushing into surgery. Tendonitis surgery is considered a last resort for the treatment of tendonitis. Make sure that you truly need it before rushing into tendonitis surgery. Before seeking tendonitis surgery, make sure you have tried the other possibilities for treatment. First, you should have tried immobilizing the area to give it a chance to heal. This involves wearing a brace or a cast for around six weeks. During this time, you should take an anti inflammatory drug prescribed by your physician, and frequently ice the area to help eliminate the swelling. If those measures are not enough to calm the pain of tendonitis, many doctors will inject the area with cortisone. This helps the tendons to heal, but should only be done a limited number of times to the same tendon, as over time cortisone injections can weaken the tendons.

If these treatment measures do not work, and the tendonitis becomes persistently worse, your doctor may recommend tendonitis surgery. Make sure that you do not rush into the surgery, though. Other methods of treatment should be tried first.

Conditions That Make Surgery Necessary

There are some conditions that make tendonitis surgery necessary in order for the tendon to heal completely. One of these is a bone spur. If you have a bone spur, it can rub against the tendon and lead to irritation and inflammation. No amount of immobilization and therapy can take care of this problem. Surgery is needed to remove the bone spur, which will allow the tendon to heal.

Another condition that makes surgery necessary in the treatment of tendonitis is a calcium deposit on the tendon. This, like a bone spur, will create inflammation and pain in the tendon. The calcium deposit must be removed for treatment to be successful. Finally, damage to the tendon that must be repaired surgically is the last reason that tendonitis surgery would be absolutely necessary. These problems include ruptures and tears of the tendon. These must be repaired by surgery.

Types of Tendonitis Surgery

There are two main types of tendonitis surgeries: arthroscopic surgery, and open surgery. Arthroscopic surgery is perhaps the most common way to treat persistent tendonitis problems. This type of surgery involves making a tiny incision and using small instruments to repair tears in the tendon. For completely torn tendons and open surgery will be necessary.

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