Tendinitis is one of the side effects of growing old. A variation of Tendinitis is calcifying Tendinitis, where the body secretes calcium deposits near tendons, triggering inflammation. The usual place where this condition is triggered is rotator cuff tendons, but they can happen in long tendons as well. The most common location for this condition is the shoulder joint.
To date, no definitive cause for calcific tendinitis has been identified. Several possibilities have been eliminated from the list of possible causes. It’s not triggered by too much calcium in the diet; people with the condition have normal calcium levels in their blood workup. Don’t limit your calcium intake if you have calcific tendinitis because you could increase your risk of osteoporosis as your body makes up the lack by scavenging it from your bones.
In some cases, it may be that a metabolic condition may cause calcific tendinitis, or that kidney problems can cause these calcium deposits; however, this is only a guess and is not a definite and diagnosed cause. In addition, dramatic injury or overuse of the rotator cuff probably does not cause calcific tendinitis come either. Overuse CAN cause rotator cuff tendinitis, which occurs without excess calcium deposits being present.
May be related to age
One statistical correlation is that calcific tendinitis rarely occurs in those under the age of 30; there are hopes that the metabolic trigger that causes the body to excrete calcium nodules can be identified; it may be possible to use these techniques to treat bone spurs as well.
Symptoms
Most cases of calcific tendinitis are asymptomatic, until the calcium deposits break up and cause inflammation. The most common symptom (before inflammation) is when you have difficulty raising your arm above your shoulder level, triggered by the calcium deposit rubbing inside the rotator cuff. This is sometimes called “shoulder impingement syndrome”.
Where most people notice calcific tendinitis is when the calcium crystals are shed from the deposits, which causes acute inflammation and pain; this is also when the calcium nodules start to break up and get reabsorbed by the body.
Sudden onset
Usually, those who experience calcific tendinitis have pain symptoms that happen suddenly, not over a long period of time. Usually, the pain symptoms themselves resolved within a week or two without incident.
If you see your doctor during an attack of acute calcific tendinitis, it can be seen on an x-ray, via the deposits that exist in your shoulder rotator cuff. Usually, calcific tendinitis treatment simply consists of taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relievers and applying ice. Doing range of motion exercises during this time can also prevent experiencing “frozen shoulder” symptoms.
In the event of particularly severe pain, your doctor may give you a steroid or cortisone injection to relieve inflammation. For extreme cases, the deposits may be broken down with ultrasound or a hypodermic needle and extracted with a syringe. It’s rare, but on some occasions, arthroscopic surgery may be necessary.
Tom Nicholson has spent years caring for sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. You can click here to learn more regardingcalcific tendinitis.
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