Tenosynovitis Treatment

The cords that are responsible for connecting bones to muscles are known as Tendons. These tendons are covered with tissues known as ''tendon sheaths'' This sheath produces a fluid called Synovial Fluid, which is responsible for keeping the tendon lubricated. It is a medical condition where these tissues get inflamed, known as tenosynovitis. 

This medical condition mainly affects the hands, wrists, and feet, making it difficult to perform routine tasks because of the pain, swelling, and lost potential of the affected areas. 

Primary treatment includes self-care & anti-inflammatories and is only treatable by a medical professional. Although it requires medical diagnosis, lab tests, examinations, and imaging are rarely necessary. It is a short-term condition that may require a few days or weeks to recover completely. 

What is tenosynovitis?

A tendon is a fibrous tissue that links your muscles to your bones. These tissues aid in the regulation of movements, including sprinting, jumping, grabbing, and lifting. You will not be able to regulate how your body moves without tendons.

Tendons are covered with a covering termed the synovium. The tendon is kept lubricated by the synovial fluid produced by this sheath.

Damage to the tendons may cause the sheath to collapse. If this happens, the sheath might not produce any or enough synovial fluid. Tenosynovitis, also referred to as swelling or inflammation of the sheath, may result from this.

Causes of tenosynovitis

• According to the expert, the primary cause of tenosynovitis is an injury to the tendon that reduces or stops the production of synovium fluid resulting in pain and swelling. Additionally, it occurs when you repeatedly perform certain physical activities like running & jumping after reaching a certain age. It may also occur when you try to lift a heavy weight all of a sudden. 

• Medical conditions like Arthritis and other inflammatory diseases that affect your joints might also cause stress around the tendons and tissues of the affected area. When tenosynovitis occurs due to these kinds of medical conditions, it may become its long-term form.

• Consumption of certain types of drugs like fluoroquinolone antibiotics that are used for treating high cholesterol can also increase the risk for tendon damage, resulting in tendon sheath inflammation. 

 Symptoms

Given below is a list of common symptoms that indicate tendon sheath inflammation:

1. Excruciating pain.
2. Swelling around joints.
3. Difficulty in moving a part of the body.
4. Feeling pain during the movement of a body part.
5. The unusual shape of the affected part of the body. 
6. Stiffness in joints.
7. Tenderness in joints. 
8. In some uncommon cases, an individual might develop a fever, which indicates the presence of an infection and requires immediate medical attention.

Diagnosis

Tenosynovitis is diagnosed medically through your symptoms and a physical exam, and it cannot be diagnosed without appropriate medical attention. Although, lab tests and imaging are not frequently required to diagnose tenosynovitis. 

Pressure is applied to certain areas, and you are asked to make specific movements by the professional to check the pain and severity of the injury. If the pain is high and you face difficulty moving a particular part of your body, then you're diagnosed with tenosynovitis. 

In other cases, if these symptoms and physical examinations aren't enough to identify the type and severity of the disease, then your doctor might need to perform an MRI or ultrasound test to confirm the medical condition's diagnosis and severity. 

In addition to that, the doctor might also ask you to undergo an X-ray or a CT Scan, which will aid them in confirming the diagnosis by showing a detailed picture of the situation of a tendon and its surrounding tissue under the skin. 

Tenosynovitis Treatment

General treatment: Treatment of tenosynovitis depends on certain factors, such as its cause and severity.

• Treatment for tendon sheath inflammation includes avoiding the causes of tenosynovitis. 
• Wearing a cast or splint to restrict the movement and stress on the affected area. 
• Applying heat or cold to the affected area reduces inflammation and numbs the pain.

 In addition to these treatment methods, surgery is also carried out in several cases. 

Tenosynovitis Surgery

Doctors usually opt for the surgical method to cure tenosynovitis only when the cause of the situation is an infection and extremely severe inflammation that might cause permanent damage. This method is also chosen when other non-surgical and basic treatments have failed to cure tenosynovitis. 

In this procedure, incisions are made around the affected area, and dead/infected tissues are surgically removed from the patient's body. 

• Antibiotics - Moreover, the doctor prescribes drugs and medications considering the severity, situation, and cause of tenosynovitis in your body. Antibiotics are usually prescribed when tenosynovitis occurs due to infection. NSAIDs are over-the-counter drugs, such as ibuprofen, which act as painkillers and reduce swelling. And lastly, anti-inflammatory Corticosteroids are injected into a person's body to boost recovery. 

Complications of tenosynovitis treatment

Even after the treatment is done successfully and all the procedures have been done accurately, you may face some complications after the treatment. These complications depend on various factors such as your medical history & method of treatment. 

Given below is a list of complications that you might face during or after the treatment: 

1. Stiffness and tenderness in the affected part of the body.
2. Cuts and scars due to incisions made to perform the surgery.
3. Deformed tendons and surrounding tissues.
4. Spreading of infection that caused tenosynovitis to other body parts.

In addition to that, there are other complications and side effects, such as dizziness and hypersomnia, which occur due to high-powered drugs and medication prescribed by the doctor. 

Prevention

It is advisable to take proper precautions rather than end up hurting yourself. Therefore, given below are a few tips to prevent tenosynovitis:

• It is necessary to keep changing your position and avoid staying in an identical position for more than half an hour. Also, it is advisable to avoid performing the same physical activity for a longer duration, as being too consistent in excessively straining physical activities can put too much stress on the muscles in use. Excessive stress is put on a muscle for a long time; it causes injury to the tendon, resulting in tenosynovitis. 

• Secondly, you should avoid lifting heavy weights. Lifting weights can put excess pressure on muscles, damaging tendons in a short span of time. And if lifting heavy weights is inevitable, you should learn how to lift weights properly and with appropriate safety equipment so that you don't end up hurting yourself. 

• Lastly, it is necessary to perform physical activities properly so that you can avoid putting excess stress on your muscles. Appropriate safety gear should be equipped while performing any physical activity and playing sports so that it's easy to keep yourself safe from sports injuries.

Why Cutis Hospital for tenosynovitis surgery?

The healthcare professionals at Cutis understand your problem based on its severity and offer solutions accordingly. 

Through diagnosis

Doctors at Cutis are very well aware that before opting for a method of treatment, it is mandatory to conduct all the necessary tests and complete all the formalities to confirm the seriousness of the medical condition. Furthermore, to select the best treatment method for the patient so that they can recover entirely, it is mandatory to make a thorough diagnosis of the patient, which helps them in knowing about all the past injuries and medical conditions of the patient.

Advanced equipment

Cutis consists of all the latest types of equipment, which aids the patient in a faster and more thorough recovery. These types of equipment provide patients with the utmost comfort and stability, which helps the doctor perform surgeries properly. As an outcome, 'patients' recovery becomes faster, and time and other resources are saved. Also, due to these latest pieces of equipment, a patient has to bear relatively less pain, complications are avoided, and it becomes easier to treat their other underlying conditions simultaneously. 

Utmost care and maintenance

Not only does Cutis consist of the best and most advanced equipment, but also the staff takes more than enough care of this equipment so that it can be as good as new, does not lose its full potential for a longer time, and can provide the doctors with maximum support and results. Furthermore, the staff cleaned and maintained these machines after every use so that they did not affect the patient by transmitting infections from the previous patient. It aids the patients in maintaining their health and keeps them safe from infections. 

Let our best hands handle your tenosynovitis at Cutis Hospital!