Tendon Injury Treatment: Home Care & When to See a Doctor

Tendons are fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones. Injury can occur due to overuse, causing inflammation. There are different stages of injury. Serious tendon injuries require medical attention. However, the non-serious injuries can be treated at home.

Things You'll Need

• Ice
• Ace bandage
• Ibuprofen

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Instructions

How to treat a tendon injury

• 1

  Avoid all activity that involves the part of the body with the injured tendon. For example, if the Achilles tendon is hurt, don't use that foot. An Ace bandage can be used to wrap the area to give the area some stability. Resting the tendon is the most important step in the healing process. It can take several weeks to heal.

• 2

  Immediately after the injury, apply ice or a cold compress to the area for up to 15 minutes. Do this four times a day for three days to keep swelling down. This also will numb the pain.

• 3

  If necessary, a pain reliever such as ibuprofen or aspirin may be taken. Use only as directed. As with taking any medication, consult a physician beforehand-especially if you are currently taking other prescription medications.

• 4

  Although you may be resting the injured tendon, range-of-motion exercises still need to be done daily. To prevent stiffness, move the joint all the way through its natural range of motion.

• 5

  Once the pain subsides, slowly resume normal activity. Warming up and conducting stretching exercises before activity is important.