Also called: Tendonitis
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Tendinitis
Tendons are flexible bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones. They help your muscles move your bones. Tendinitis is the severe swelling of a tendon.
Tendinitis usually happens after repeated injury to an area such as the wrist or ankle. It causes pain and soreness around a joint. Some common forms of tendinitis are named after the sports that increase their risk. They include tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, pitcher's shoulder, swimmer's shoulder, and jumper's knee.
Doctors diagnose tendinitis with your medical history, a physical exam, and imaging tests. The first step in treatment is to reduce pain and swelling. Rest, wrapping or elevating the affected area, and medicines can help. Ice is helpful for recent, severe injuries. Other treatments include ultrasound, physical therapy, steroid injections, and surgery.
It sits within Bones, Joints and Muscles.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Tendinitis
197 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma for Midportion Achilles TendinopathySpaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
- Hyaluronic Acid in Shoulder TendinopathyCentre Hospitalier Departemental Vendee
- 3D Hand Orthosis TrialAcademisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)
- HILT vs ESWT in Supraspinatus TendinitisKafrelsheikh University
- Eccentric Contraction Exercise For Shoulder Pain SyndromeRafeef Hassan Asiri
- Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Needle Tenotomy (PNT) vs Percutaneous Ultrasonic Needle Tenotomy (PUT) for Gluteal TendinosisUniversity of Colorado, Denver
Research already completed
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection for the Treatment of Chronic Patellar TendinopathyUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison
- Calciying Tendinopathy of the Rotator Cuff: Barbotage Vs Shock WavesMaimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba
- QUANTIFY: Quantitative Understanding of Advanced Novel Techniques for Imaging Fasciitis and Yielding BiomarkersRuth Chimenti
- Addition of Ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Neuromodulation to Ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Electrolysis and Eccentric Exercises in Patellar Tendinopathy.Universidad de Zaragoza
- Platelet-rich Plasma in Calcific TendinitisOrthopedisch Centrum Oost Nederland
- Eccentric Biased Exercises Effect on Functional Outcomes in Iliopsoas TendonitisRiphah International University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Tendinitis (Bursitis)American College of Rheumatology
Diagnosis and Tests
- Musculoskeletal MRIRadiological Society of North America
- Musculoskeletal UltrasoundRadiological Society of North America
Treatments and Therapies
- Joint Injections (Joint Aspirations)American College of Rheumatology
- Tendinitis Pain: Should I Apply Ice or Heat?Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: TendinitisNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: TendinopathyNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Tendinopathy. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Tendinitis, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.