What is tendinitis?

Tendinitis is when the tough cords that connect your muscles to your bones get irritated and swollen from too much use.

Think of your body like a marionette puppet. The tendons are the strings. They pull on your bones to make you move. When you run, jump, or throw a ball, these strings work hard. If you use the same string over and over, it can get scratchy and puffy. That puffiness is tendinitis. It makes the area feel hot, tender, or achy.

Think of a rubber band. If you stretch it too many times without rest, it gets weak and might snap. Tendons are similar.

Imagine pressing a sore thumb against a table. If that spot hurts, you have tendinitis. It usually happens in places we use a lot, like the wrist, elbow, or shoulder.

Rest is the best medicine. Stop doing the activity that hurts. Ice helps calm the swelling, like putting a cold pack on a bumped knee. As the tendon heals, gentle stretching keeps it soft and strong. Think of it like letting a scraped knee rest until the scab forms. If you keep picking at it, it never heals. So, give your "strings" a break, and they will feel like new again.