How to Treat Tendonitis With Cortisone

Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons, the structural tissue that connects the bones and muscles in your body. When tendonitis occurs, the tendon's inflammation usually makes it painful to perform body movements due to the pulling on the muscles. Your doctor may treat your tendonitis with cortisone shots and creams to help relieve the pain and reduce the inflammation of your tendons.

Things You'll Need

• Over-the-counter pain medication
• Ice pack

Instructions

1. Talk to your doctor about using cortisone shots to treat your tendonitis. For certain types of tendonitis, cortisone may be injected into the part of the body that is in pain to help reduce inflammation in the areas surrounding it. Not all types of tendonitis are treated with cortisone due to the potential complication of rupturing tendons during the procedure, including tendonitis related to the Achilles heel.

2. Use cortisone creams and lotions to treat less severe cases of tendonitis. In many cases, over-the-counter cortisone creams and lotions may help reduce minor pain and inflammation associated with tendonitis caused by routine sprains and pulling of muscles associated with exercise.

3. Rest as much as possible while using cortisone to treat your tendonitis. Because tendonitis is often caused by exercise and sporting-related injuries, it is important to refrain from these activities for an extended period of time to allow the tendon to fully heal and avoid further damage. Use an icepack and over-the-counter pain medication in combination with cortisone treatments to relieve your pain during this resting period.

4. Learn about the potentially harmful side effects of using cortisone to treat tendonitis. Tendons that are subjected to repeated cortisone injections may actually weaken and eventually rupture, especially if the cortisone is injected directly into the tendon. For this reason, cortisone creams are generally considered to be safer, though sometimes also less effective, than cortisone shots for treating tendonitis.

5. Participate in physical therapy and strengthening exercises in conjunction with your cortisone treatment for relieving the symptoms of tendonitis. Your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist to help oversee a specific exercise program customized to help strengthen the muscles and tendons that are causing your tendonitis to flare up. Cortisone treatments may actually be helpful in reducing any of the inflammation and pain that could be caused by these exercises as well.

6. Investigate the underlying cause of your tendonitis to improve the effectiveness of your cortisone treatment. In many cases, overuse or improper exercise techniques related to a certain muscle group result in tendonitis. Failure to correct these mistakes with the help of your doctor and a physical group will reduce the likelihood that cortisone will be effective in treating your tendonitis.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult your doctor if your symptoms of tendonitis do not go away despite treatment by cortisone. Some tendon problems may require surgery.