Treating tendinitis or tendinopathy with Winback tecartherapy

What is tendinitis?

The overuse of the term tendinitis, which originally means a form of tendinopathy, has led to qualify a painful ailment of the tendon in everyday language.

As a matter of fact, there are 3 types of tendinopathies :

• Tendinitis : an inflammation, an enthesopathy

• Tendinosis : a chronical non-inflammatory state of degeneration

• paratenonitis or tenosynovitis : an inflammation of the synovial sheath surrounding the tendon, the hypervascularization of the sheath surrounding the tendon and fibrous exsudate.

The tennis Elbow example

The tendinopathy of the upper limb, due to the inflammation of the arm’s tendons, is one of the most frequently presenting forms and can reach the tendons of the biceps brachii muscle (the most common form), the coracobrachial, brachial or triceps brachial muscles. The most common form of tendinopathy affects the biceps brachii muscle, situated on the front facing side of the arm. The pains that felt are then located on the upper part of the arm, close to the shoulder. Tennis elbow, it is an acute or chronic inflammation of the elbow, a frequent complaint with tennis players.

The symptoms usually present in th following ways :

• sharp pains caused by specific movements

• the skin of the inflamed area is hot, swollen and reddish

• the tendon area is painful when palpated

Commonly tendinitis is the consequence of repetitive motions, of a wound or of too intensive movements which tire the tendon out. This type of tendinopathy (the common tendinitis) is also often found among manual workers or elderly people, whose tendons have suffered microscopic tears caused by wear and tear. It can also have a neurological or spinal origin, such as a cervicobrachial neuralgia.

Treating tendinopathy with Winback tecartherapy

A Winback tecartherapy session

A treatment with Winback energy when the pain is very severe reaps the best results, whether it be applied on a sharp or an ongoing inflammation, bringing about instantaneous pain relief.

The physiotherapist aims to restore the patient’s mobility by eliminating side effects. This pain-free release of the movement enables the therapist to combine the Winback energy with their manual techniques (for instance: deep crosswise or active (off-centre) massages), or physiotherapy methods (other equipment) and to concentrate on the tendon injury. During a 20 minute session, the patient receives therapeutic massages and mobilizations with a very comfortable and adapted heat. This heat is one of Winback energy’s biological actions to restore good vascular circulation in the targeted tissues. This allows the patient to return to exercise faster.

Number of sessions

One session only can be enough to lessen the pain caused by tendinopathy. Winback recommends between 3 and 5 sessions to recover full mobility. During the session, the patient is guided through stretching and toning exercises.