Tendonitis?

"Colin Davidson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just went to the doctor to find out why my right calf hurts so much. It's
not the calf, it's the bit below it, the thinner sinewy bit below the
muscle.

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

Reading up a wee bit on tendonitis, this is meant to be caused by an
increase in activity; such an increase hasn't happened. Cycling hurts less
than walking, but as cycling is my main excercise I'm wondering what I

ought

Quoted message said:

now to do. Should I go easy and cycle less (and more slowly)? What can I

do

Quoted message said:

to cycle in a way that's less likely to make the condition worse?

And how long can I expect it to hurt for?

Cheers,

Colin.

Colin,

My Dad had this earlier on this year and the doc prescribed him tablets.
Didnt work, he then proceeded to put the offending lower leg in a plaster so
as to rest it - sounds like his condition was perhaps a little further down
the line to yours - apparantly the tendon CAN snap if it gets really bad,
then its pain and x weeks/months off work/cycling. So after 3 weeks he had
his plaster off and because they didnt give him any blood thinners he got
DVT in the leg. If you do have to go the plaster route, take aspirin or
some blood thinner just in case.

Hope it gets better soon!

Lee

Colin Davidson said:

Reading up a wee bit on tendonitis, this is meant to be caused by an
increase in activity; such an increase hasn't happened. Cycling hurts less
than walking, but as cycling is my main excercise I'm wondering what I ought
now to do. Should I go easy and cycle less (and more slowly)? What can I do
to cycle in a way that's less likely to make the condition worse?

Wouldn't this question be best directed at your doctor? If you feel the
doctor is a bit hopeless I'd ask in a sports injury clinic where the
folk can look at your particular problem area, discuss the problem in
detail and pass on much better advice than A.N. Poster of Usenet.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Colin Davidson wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Reading up a wee bit on tendonitis, this is meant to be caused by an
increase in activity; such an increase hasn't happened. Cycling hurts less
than walking, but as cycling is my main excercise I'm wondering what I ought
now to do. Should I go easy and cycle less (and more slowly)? What can I do
to cycle in a way that's less likely to make the condition worse?

Quoted message said:

Wouldn't this question be best directed at your doctor? If you feel the
doctor is a bit hopeless I'd ask in a sports injury clinic where the
folk can look at your particular problem area, discuss the problem in
detail and pass on much better advice than A.N. Poster of Usenet.

And remember that 'increase' can just mean 'change. Have you got new
shoes? Changed your seating position? Done something silly?

My achilles problems this summer were cause by repeated rubbing of a new
sandal over that area. Though I self-diagnosed it as peritendinites rather
than tendonitis (the surrounding tissue rather than the tendon itself).

Roos

Colin Davidson said:

Just went to the doctor to find out why my right calf hurts so much.
It's not the calf, it's the bit below it, the thinner sinewy bit
below the muscle.

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

This is the universal "just leave it and it will get better" solution IYAM.

Take it easy, listen to your body.

"Colin Davidson" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Just went to the doctor to find out why my right calf hurts so much. It's
not the calf, it's the bit below it, the thinner sinewy bit below the
muscle.

Quoted message said:

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

It's god stuff if you don't have an ulcer in your stomach etc.

Quoted message said:

Reading up a wee bit on tendonitis, this is meant to be caused by an
increase in activity; such an increase hasn't happened.

I got mine (I think) shifting staging before a choral concert, which was
unaccustomed. I had also started to cycle *huge* distances over the
previous year. In addition, I had done a 300km Audax, with a resolving
chest infection the previous week; I recorded fairly major (4.5 kg)
weight/fluid shifts...

Quoted message said:

Cycling hurts less
than walking, but as cycling is my main excercise I'm wondering what I ought
now to do. Should I go easy and cycle less (and more slowly)? What can I do
to cycle in a way that's less likely to make the condition worse?

If it hurts, don't do it! It's quite possible to cycle LONG distances
without moving your ankle and provoking your Achilles tendon at all[1].
Forget ankling for now.

I found getting up from sitting *really* painful. Take the strain off
your calf when you do this by lifting yourself up with your arms on a
desk/table/arms of your chair.

Don't do *anything* that provokes the pain as this will prolong the
problem. Try to walk with your ankle stiff if possible.

Quoted message said:

And how long can I expect it to hurt for?

Mine lasted about two months and resolved almost overnight after camping
in a coolish tent with my feet up and head down. I didn't really let it
interfere with my cycling though...

[1] I did my first 400km Audax a week after my trouble started. Calf
only hurt in last 50km of ride, but then almost everything hurt a bit
then. I am not advising you emulate me, only relating my experience ;-)

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

"dwb" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

Quoted message said:

This is the universal "just leave it and it will get better" solution IYAM.

Yebbut it *does* get better if you leave it alone...

Quoted message said:

Take it easy, listen to your body.

.... so long as you DON'T PROVOKE it!

Hope it improves soon. Ibuprofen round the clock for 72 hours may help.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

"dwb" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

Quoted message said:

This is the universal "just leave it and it will get better" solution IYAM.

Yebbut it *does* get better if you leave it alone...

Quoted message said:

Take it easy, listen to your body.

.... so long as you DON'T PROVOKE it!

Hope it improves soon. Ibuprofen round the clock for 72 hours may help.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Colin Davidson said:

Just went to the doctor to find out why my right calf hurts so much.
It's not the calf, it's the bit below it, the thinner sinewy bit
below the muscle.

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

Should I go easy and cycle less (and more

Quoted message said:

slowly)? What can I do to cycle in a way that's less likely to make
the condition worse?

And how long can I expect it to hurt for?

In my long experience with these pains, doctors tend to class various
inflammatory conditions of connective tissues as tendonitis, and treat it
routinely as you describe. I have been to physiotherapists (who eventually
told me I must be imagining the pain, despite the fact that I could barely
get up from a chair without gasping in pain) and to a musculo-skeletal
specialist who eventually told me that such things are still pretty much a
mystery to his profession.

I have found the best way to treat tendonitis is to carry on with life, but
at a much, much lower level of activity for the affected limb, for as long
as it takes to go away, which can often happen quite suddenly, leaving no
real after-effect. The good news is that after several bouts of this
frustrating condition, affecting cycling, badminton and other sports, I
still have no lasting difficulty.

As has already been said, learn from the experiences of others, but
ultimately take medical advice, however imperfect. BTW, hope you recover
very quickly.

--
Brian G

To reply, replace junk with brian

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

"dwb" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

Quoted message said:

This is the universal "just leave it and it will get better"
solution IYAM.

Yebbut it *does* get better if you leave it alone...

In some cases.

In the case of a dodgy knee, it didn't. In the case of a dodgy back, it most
certainly didn't.

in message <[email hidden]>, Helen Deborah

Vecht (') said:

"dwb" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

Quoted message said:

This is the universal "just leave it and it will get better" solution
IYAM.

Yebbut it *does* get better if you leave it alone...

Quoted message said:

Take it easy, listen to your body.

... so long as you DON'T PROVOKE it!

Hope it improves soon. Ibuprofen round the clock for 72 hours may
help.

Go easy on the painkillers. The problem with taking painkillers when you
have an injury is that the pain is your body telling you you're doing
damage, and if you take painkillers to mask the pain you won't know
when you're doing damage. My advice would be don't take painkillers,
rest and relax as much as possible.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Error 1109: There is no message for this error

"dwb" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

"dwb" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

>
> He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

Quoted message said:

This is the universal "just leave it and it will get better"
solution IYAM.

Yebbut it *does* get better if you leave it alone...

Quoted message said:

In some cases.

Quoted message said:

In the case of a dodgy knee, it didn't. In the case of a dodgy back, it most
certainly didn't.

Poor thing! My Achilliles tendinitis *did*, as did some tibialis
anterior paratendinitis when I was riding End to End.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Simon Brooke <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yebbut it *does* get better if you leave it alone...

Quoted message said:

Take it easy, listen to your body.

... so long as you DON'T PROVOKE it!

Hope it improves soon. Ibuprofen round the clock for 72 hours may
help.

Quoted message said:

Go easy on the painkillers. The problem with taking painkillers when you
have an injury is that the pain is your body telling you you're doing
damage, and if you take painkillers to mask the pain you won't know
when you're doing damage. My advice would be don't take painkillers,
rest and relax as much as possible.

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller.

Since dwb has an inflammatory condition, it might be worth suppressing
the inflammation for a short while, whilst not provoking it.

I have worked as a doctor in A&E for the best part of 20 years, as well
as having had tendinitis myself. Your qualifications for advising
against the GP's an my suggestion of ibuprofen are?

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

in message <[email hidden]>, Helen Deborah

Vecht (') said:

Simon Brooke <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yebbut it *does* get better if you leave it alone...

> Take it easy, listen to your body.

... so long as you DON'T PROVOKE it!

Hope it improves soon. Ibuprofen round the clock for 72 hours may
help.

Quoted message said:

Go easy on the painkillers. The problem with taking painkillers when
you have an injury is that the pain is your body telling you you're
doing damage, and if you take painkillers to mask the pain you won't
know when you're doing damage. My advice would be don't take
painkillers, rest and relax as much as possible.

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller.

Since dwb has an inflammatory condition, it might be worth suppressing
the inflammation for a short while, whilst not provoking it.

I have worked as a doctor in A&E for the best part of 20 years, as
well as having had tendinitis myself. Your qualifications for advising
against the GP's an my suggestion of ibuprofen are?

None whatsoever.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; If you're doing this for fun, do what seems fun. If you're
;; doing it for money, stop now.
;; Rainer Deyke

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Colin Davidson" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Just went to the doctor to find out why my right calf hurts so much.

It's

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

not the calf, it's the bit below it, the thinner sinewy bit below the
muscle.

Quoted message said:

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

It's god stuff if you don't have an ulcer in your stomach etc.

How about Ibuprofen gel? I have used this in the past on minor bouts of what
I have presumed was tendonitis and it was usually very effective.

Gavin

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller.

Since dwb has an inflammatory condition, it might be worth suppressing
the inflammation for a short while, whilst not provoking it.

I have worked as a doctor in A&E for the best part of 20 years, as
well as having had tendinitis myself. Your qualifications for advising
against the GP's an my suggestion of ibuprofen are?

What, aside from the dispensing medication advice for someone you don't
know?

You may well know the right answers - you most certainly don't know me, nor
my reasons why I think "take a neurofen" is the ultimate medical cop out.

But there you go - the joys of newsgroups.

"dwb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller.

Since dwb has an inflammatory condition, it might be worth suppressing
the inflammation for a short while, whilst not provoking it.

I have worked as a doctor in A&E for the best part of 20 years, as
well as having had tendinitis myself. Your qualifications for advising
against the GP's an my suggestion of ibuprofen are?

What, aside from the dispensing medication advice for someone you don't
know?

You may well know the right answers - you most certainly don't know me,

nor

Quoted message said:

my reasons why I think "take a neurofen" is the ultimate medical cop out.

But there you go - the joys of newsgroups.

I think you should read what Helen has written. She is suggestiong that a
person should follow a doctor's advice and saying why. She has the training,
qualifications and experience to boot but she is not advising the patient
merely explaining why following his doctor's advice "might" be a good idea.

Julia

"Colin Davidson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Just went to the doctor to find out why my right calf hurts so much. It's
not the calf, it's the bit below it, the thinner sinewy bit below the
muscle.

He has diagnosed tendonitis, and told me to take iboprofen.

Reading up a wee bit on tendonitis, this is meant to be caused by an
increase in activity; such an increase hasn't happened. Cycling hurts less
than walking, but as cycling is my main excercise I'm wondering what I ought
now to do. Should I go easy and cycle less (and more slowly)? What can I do
to cycle in a way that's less likely to make the condition worse?

And how long can I expect it to hurt for?

Cheers,

Colin.

Colin:
First, be forewarned, Achilles tendonosis is sometimes miss diagnosed
as Achilles tendonitis. You might have Achilles tendonosis.

Second, in addition to overuse, there are a bunch of possible causes.
They include: worn out shoes, new shoes that don't have the right arch
support or pronation/motion support, use of Cipro or other Quinolones,
etc.

A good place to read about Achilles tendon problems is
www.Achillestendon.com, it helped me a lot.
Good luck,
Murph

"JBB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I think you should read what Helen has written. She is suggestiong that a
person should follow a doctor's advice and saying why. She has the

training,

Quoted message said:

qualifications and experience to boot but she is not advising the patient
merely explaining why following his doctor's advice "might" be a good

idea.

I posted here to ask you guys because my doctor isn't a cyclist; he's a good
bloke and a perfectly competent doctor, but he didn't have much advice for
overcoming tendonitis, and whether I ought to lay off the bike entirely or
not.

So I thought I'd ask here to see what assorted cyclists, some of whom will
have had exactly the same condition, have to say. Seemed like a good idea at
the time, and I'd say that the advice I've received makes a deal of sense.

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Go easy on the painkillers. The problem with taking painkillers when you
have an injury is that the pain is your body telling you you're doing
damage, and if you take painkillers to mask the pain you won't know
when you're doing damage. My advice would be don't take painkillers,
rest and relax as much as possible.

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller.

Indeed, which is why I took the doctors advice and have been taking
ibuprofen. It's helping a lot, the pain is numbed somewhat.

Quoted message said:

Since dwb has an inflammatory condition, it might be worth suppressing
the inflammation for a short while, whilst not provoking it.

Again, makes a lot of sense.

Quoted message said:

I have worked as a doctor in A&E for the best part of 20 years, as well
as having had tendinitis myself. Your qualifications for advising
against the GP's an my suggestion of ibuprofen are?

In fairness, the advice not to over-do painkillers probably isn't that bad;
I wouldn't be the first person to take painkillers and then go out and make
a condition much worse, would I? You have to be aware that a painkiller
isn't solving the condition, that's clearly important.