What Causes Tendonitis Pain in Badminton

Tendonitis is a common badminton injury that often occurs from overuse. Tendonitis can cause deep, nagging pain that is caused by inflammation of tendons.

Tendons are tough, fibrous tissue throughout the body that connect muscles to bones. For a variety of reasons (the stress of repeated motion, a traumatic injury or bio-mechanic issues) a tendon may becoming irritated or inflamed. When this happens the smooth motion of tendons becomes painful. This irritation is called tendonitis (inflammation of the tendon).

The Causes of Tendonitis

The most common cause of tendonitis is overuse syndrome, also called chronic repetitive stress and strain injury. A badminton player is in a high risk of tendonitis.

Overuse injuries are the result of repetitive use, stress and trauma to the soft tissues of the body (muscles, tendons, bones and joints) without proper time for healing. They are sometimes called cumulative trauma, or repetitive stress injuries.

They are common injuries of new badminton players who do too much, too soon without enough rest. Repeated overuse will cause an inflammation and tendonitis. It’s important to start slow and increase your training time and intensity over time. Following the Ten Percent Rule is helpful in avoiding overuse injuries.

Sometimes there is a bio mechanical reason that someone will develop tendonitis. When this happens an orthopedic surgeon may recommend surgery to realign or smooth the area the tendon slides over.

Specific Types of Tendonitis

There are some areas of the body that commonly develop tendonitis. These include:

• Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
• Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)
• Achilles Tendonitis
• Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
• Patellar (Kneecap) Tendonitis
• Wrist Tendonitis
• Tendonitis (and Overuse Injuries) in Children
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Tendinitis (Ruptured Tendons) of the Knee

Treatment of Tendonitis

Treating tendonitis generally begins with the same treatment used for overuse injuries. This includes resting the stressed tissues. Reducing the intensity, duration or frequency of the exercise will sometimes be all the treatment required for fast relief. Icing the injury can also help reduce inflammation and pain. For more serious overuse injuries, physical therapy, over the counter pain medications, and complete rest may be necessary.

To prevent the return of tendonitis overuse injuries, athletes should maintain a training schedule that includes varied intensity and duration as well as type of activity.

Getting a proper warm-up and cross-training is also helpful.