I've had tendon issues for several years, and there's never been any external swelling...just a lot of pain. I had tennis elbow so badly a couple of years ago that I couldn't lift a cup of coffee with my right arm. It was from overuse, though, so at least I had an explanation.

The tendon that is giving me fits now is my left distal bicep tendon, and I wasn't do ANYTHING that could have possibly caused it. It was the middle of January...no gardening, no golf, no kayaking, nothing. I'd shoveled snow once a week or two before, but that was it.

I've recently started on D3, so I'll have to see if that helps. After some Googling, I've seen indications that tendon issues can be caused by a D3 deficiency. Thanks for mentioning it.

No problem!

My doc thinks I may have a bit of hypermobility. I have a brace for every joint on my body practically haha I don't have Ehlers-Danlos, though, and I'm negative for all rheumy based connective tissue illnesses. My tendons just seem to act of easily and frequently. Some times of the month worse than others.

I had a quad tendinopathy a few years before my SFN started. I was an elite cyclist so this injury made sense. I even had Platelet Rich Plasma performed on my knee by a top sports med doctor. My knee tendon was healed according to the ultrasound, but my pain continued and my doctors didn't know why. The pain increased to the point where I limped most of the time.

From 2012 to 2014 also went through 4 different PT's, with the last therapist telling me that something is wrong with my knee because it should have healed already. Then in early 2014 it all came down very quickly - burning, pain, and electricity in my right leg that went body-wide. I think that SFN is hard to differentiate from tendon issues or muscle-skeletal pain.

My PT tested me for this and determined that my back is hypermobile. I'm never supposed to undergo any chiro adjustments due to this.

Ugh yes...unfortunately, I found this out after more than a year of chiro work-I feel it greatly contributes to my small fiber neuropathy issues.

Don't know if this will help answer your question , but...Before I was diagnosed with PN, I was having severe pain in my hands..more than the pain in my legs and feet....Long Story short.. I was diagnosed with Dupuytrens Contraction. I have found as my NP increases so has my tendon issues. I have been lucky in that my hands have not contracted BUT.. I am now having more and more issues with my Achilles Tendon and tightness in the tendons in calves, ankles and feet. The tendons in my hands are larger now than before but are not contracting. I have also developed a nodule in my right foot on the tendon that goes to the great toe, and, (am getting neuromas in the balls of my feet..which may simply be because I am on my feet all day at work.)

I battle each day with horrible burning and neuro pain but choose to only take gabapentin, (600mg, 3 times a day), an Advil and an aspirin to keep the pain to a tolerable level.

Welcome gmaw2000.

Thanks for the response, gmaw, and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about your problems.

As great coincidence would have it, one of my best friend's husband has Dupuytrens, so I'm familiar with it. And as even greater coincidence would have it, they'll be visiting me from North Carolina next weekend. His hands aren't contracting yet either, but I believe his father has already had surgery. I'm going to go refresh my memory on the condition.

I assume you don't know the cause of your PN?

This interesting and something I wasn't aware of. I have some blood sugar issues, but am nowhere close to diabetes.

Occurrence of Tendon Pathologies in Metabolic Disorders

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/781970_2

Several rheumatological conditions complicate the clinical course of diabetes mellitus. For example, Dupuytren's disease, characterized by thickening, shortening and fibrosis of the palmar fascia, and trigger finger (also called flexor tenosynovitis) have been found in 10–15% of subjects with diabetes versus 1% in non-diabetic controls (matched for age and sex). Similarly, carpal tunnel syndrome and shoulder adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) have been reported in 11–25% and 10–20% of patients with diabetes, respectively.

My neuropathy is diagnosed as diabetic in nature and I am certainly having muscles issues that appear to be worse at the tendons. I stretch, I massage, I work them and never get more than mild relief.

I have knots in my calf muscles that are larger than the past, mostly because of time contraints. I have 9 million good habits I try to adhere to, but time is limited, work, family and so on taking precident at times.

Any ideas are more than welcome.

Just hoping for you that glucose management trumps all. It appears the effects of out of control blood sugar is far-reaching, much more far-reaching than I ever knew.

The only seemingly consensus thing I'm reading about with regard to supplements and tendons is to make sure you're getting enough vitamin C.

Meanwhile, I've developed muscle cramps like I've never experienced before in muscles I've never had cramps in before. I have an imbalance somewhere, and I'm suspecting calcium.

It's all very frustrating....

I give up my milk habit as part of carb watching, and may not be getting enough calcium now. Since fruit is also not good for carbs, I've started eating bell peppers daily which are a great source of vitamin C. But now I learn bell peppers are nightshades, and could be causing problems.