Forearm Tendonitis

Excessive pressure or overuse might weaken or cause damage to anything in this world. Human body parts are not an exception to it! Many times you tend to make excessive use of your forearms for heavy physical activities such as, lifting weights or doing any other work, that involves the use of forearm strength. On such occasions, you might encounter pain, swelling and inflammation in the forearms. This might not be serious in the initial days, however, if you continue to overuse the forearm muscles (even if you are experiencing pain), then you might develop forearm tendonitis. Forearm tendonitis is defined as pain, inflammation and swelling in the forearm region. It is most commonly seen in people, who are involved in jobs which involve too much of heavy physical hard work.

Causes
Forearm tendonitis is the result of a torn forearm muscle. This tearing of forearm muscle, further results in pressure and swelling of the tendon. This might prove harmful, as it causes inflammation and pain in the forearm. The whole series thus develops this condition. Although the most important and common cause is overuse of forearms, there are many other factors that might lead to this problem. The second most common cause of forearm tendonitis is aging. Aging actually brings in many positive and negative changes in a person. Well, forearm tendonitis is a negative change! This is because, aging causes weakening of muscles and makes them prone to problems such as tendonitis. Another common cause is injury. This is the most obvious one! A severe injury to the forearm muscle can cause pain and swelling. Such a pain, if not treated properly, can graduate into forearm tendonitis, causing more trouble to the person. This leads to pain, stiffness in the forearms, swelling and inflammation. Pain is experienced while using the forearms.

Stretches
By far, the most effective treatment is performing stretches for forearm tendonitis. A couple of exercises are explained below.

• Sit on a chair and then rest the rear side of the forearms on your knees. Now, close your fingers and then stretch your wrist downwards, as much as possible. Do not overstretch. Maintain this position for some seconds and then open your fingers and try to pull them, towards your side. Keep this position for some seconds and then relax. You can do 2 - 3 sets with 10 - 12 repetitions.
• Next type of stretch is simpler. Sit on a chair and rest the rear side of the forearms on your knees. Now, close your fingers and then stretch your wrist downwards. Hold this position for about 15 - 20 seconds and then stretch your wrist upwards. Again, hold this position for about 15 - 20 seconds. Repeat this exercise for about 10 - 12 times with 3 repetitions.

Treatment
One of the best forms of treatment is to avoid all the physical activities and rest your forearm. You can also opt for pain killers. Anti-inflammatory medications also prove useful in some cases. However, consult a doctor before taking them. Ice treatment is also a good remedy. Applying ice pack on the pain area for about 10 - 15 minutes everyday, would help in reducing the pain.

Forearm tendonitis is not a serious problem. However, it is up to you to cure it promptly and also to not let it aggravate. Medical intervention is necessary, if the pain does not alleviate with the above suggested treatment measures.