Tendonitis: Causes, Treatments, and What Works Best

When your tendonitis, inflammation of a tendon, often caused by repetitive motion or sudden injury. Also known as tendinitis, it’s not just a minor ache—it’s a barrier to movement, exercise, and daily tasks. You might feel it in your shoulder from lifting, your elbow from typing, or your knee from running. It’s common, but it’s not normal to ignore it.

Tendonitis doesn’t happen out of nowhere. It’s usually tied to overuse, repeated stress on a tendon without enough recovery time. Think of it like a fraying rope—each pull weakens it a little more. Age, natural loss of tendon elasticity over time makes this worse. And if you’re on corticosteroids, medications that reduce inflammation but can weaken tendons, your risk goes up even more. It’s not just athletes—office workers, gardeners, and parents carrying kids all get it.

Most people try anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen or naproxen, to reduce pain and swelling. They help short-term, but they don’t fix the root problem. The real fix? Movement. Not rest alone, but physical therapy, targeted exercises that rebuild tendon strength and flexibility. Ice, compression, and avoiding the motion that hurts are part of it too. Some try braces or taping, but those are supports, not cures.

What you won’t find in most guides? The truth that tendonitis often gets worse if you push through the pain. And that surgery is almost never needed—unless the tendon tears. Most cases improve with consistent, gentle rehab. The key is timing: treat it early, don’t wait until it stops you from sleeping or lifting your coffee cup.

Below, you’ll find real comparisons—what drugs work, what doesn’t, how physical therapy beats rest alone, and why some supplements claim to help but rarely deliver. No fluff. Just what actually moves the needle for people with tendon pain.