Frequent Bursitis and Tendinitis
 

Hello all. This is my first post here but I am looking for some information and hope that someone here might have an idea. Would there be a disease or syndrome that would cause someone to have tendinitis or bursitis in multiple locations? At this particular time I have chronic tennis elbow in my left elbow, some kind of issue on my left hand at the base of the thumb that is painful with certain movement, something that hurts at the end of the ulnar bone on my right wrist, and something that feels like bone spurs in my right shoulder that makes sleeping on that side very difficult. Periodically the right elbow gets tennis elbow also.

This is not fibromyalgia, but issues of either a tendinitis or bursitis. I'm just wondering if the pattern sounds similar to anyone else here. Thanks for any information. If this is not the proper place for this question, I apologize.

Hello dogmom,
You might want to come over to the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome forum.
Have you had any xrays- those would have showed if arthritis was the culprit?

here's a link to our TOS forum- come read and see if it sounds like your symptoms.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

I have the same thing, tendonitis of both elbows, ankles, pain at the base of the thumb which my GP says is probably arthritis, new pain at the wrist which goes up the arm. I have osteoarthritis (OA). It's in my spine from top to bottom, right now due to pain in my ankles my podiatrist suspects that the OA is in the soft tissue and has not yet begun the bone injury (he took xrays). I have widespread tendonitis with this, whatever it is. I have taken PT for the neck and back and on their billing and physician notes they have either written myositis or myofacsical pain. Now these are two very different issues. The neurologist has not told me exactly what this is besides OA. He sent me to PT, I endured 16 weeks. Sometimes it was good and sometimes it was bad because they treated me for unrelated stuff. Spent one month on SIS (shoulder impingement syndrome) that I do not nor have ever had, no pain in shoulders. I had a massage to separate the pectoral major and minor muscles, this massage is brutal and I was bruised to the point that my general surgeon (some breast cysts) was shocked and asked how that happened and when I said PT massage of pectoral muscles he demanded to know who had sent me for that so I told him who. He was really most annoyed at the bruises. He wrote down the docs name so I don't know if he called him on it or not.

Tell me, when you palpate the painful spot on your elbows and follow up along the inside of the arm is it painful all the way to the underarm? and down the arm as well? Yeah if so it's not something that anyone can answer. However, at PT they had the hand therapist take a look because I also have a band of tough tissue above the elbows, that is myofascial tissue. The hand therapist stated as such and added she could massage it out with a script from the doctor. I had just had the pec massage and I said "No, I will deal with this on my own."

Myfascial Pain is not Fibromyalgia although they seem to lump it with FM. It has something to do with the end plates, where muscle, tendon and the bone meet. It can be felt unlike FM, you can actually feel the hard or hardened tissue. Usually it is from over use in my case that was not true, neither is the term "tennis elbow". Haven't played tennis since high school a very long time ago. In my case I think it is part of the arthritis or the arthritic process.

I hear you and I understand exactly where you are at. You need to have this assessed by a good Rheumatologist as they really are well versed in musculoskeletal diseases and disease process. Neurologist can help as well but generally this would be for a Rheumatologist.

I actually have a problem similar to that. I have been diagnosed with tendinitis in my left knee, but I have frequent pain in my right knee also. My right wrist often hurts, as do both ankles. I have sprained my right ankle once, but I've never sprained or broken any other body part. (except my nose)
I really wonder if there may be some disease or condition that causes my tendons to become weak.
When I was diagnosed with tendinitis, the doctor said that my knee cap had a black spot on it that he said might have been a bruised bone. Maybe that's a syptom for something that I've just never heard of?
Also, I'm only 18, so I seriously doubt that I have any type of arthritis, but I guess it is possible.

eroberts6...fyi
 

....when my daughter was about your age, she sustained an injury at work. She got a very hard hit to her shinbone on one leg. It got really bruised. But, no big deal, right? A few months later she developed lumps on that leg, close to the shin bone. They kept getting bigger, very scary! We took her for x-rays. The doc could see these in the soft-tissue, but did not think they were cancerous, which was our first thought. Then she was sent to another doc who did an MRI. Turned out to be some kind of reaction by the body to that injury. She was treated with an NSAID for about 6 weeks and it resolved. Thank goodness! Injuries to the joints can set up a trype of arthritic process and should be evaluated as soon as possible. Because, left untreated, it can lead to deterioration. I know, I have had tons of problems with my shoulders from dislocations. And may have to have one replaced. Not a pleasant thought :eek: I have had one neck fusion and may have to have another. I believe that it has been an arthritic process set up by a neck injury when I was a teen. My advice to young people: treat your body with respect!!!!! Everything you do now will effect your health for years to come should you be fortunate enough to live a long life. OK, done ranting.:D

Not exactly sure if its the same. But I continuely get what seems to
be bursitis in my left shoulder. Nothing works for a long period for
it.

Donna

My daughter is 26 and she has problems similar to you. She has been very active all her life. Recently she has had patellar tendonitis in both knees, tendonitis in both wrists, and posterior tibialis tendonitis in both ankles. She had blood tests for systemic diseases like RA and lupus, and they were all negative. She doesn't have joint pain, just tendonitis. What did your doctor say is causing all your tendonitis. Her doctor acts like it is all in her head!

With all that pain, she needs a new doctor. Sorry, I am one that has
pain in different parts at different times. And I was ignored for years.

And finally when I started listening to my body, so did the doctor's.

I am now waiting on getting back blood work taken today. I'm not sure
what my Nurse practioner meant. i just know it sounds like I have
more than fibromyalgia, which makes sense to me.

I have a good friend that has Lupus and some other things. And she has
told me, my symtoms tell her I need better treatment.

Donna

I am with you all!

4 yrs ago I had surgery on both elbows 6 weeks apart...it's back, right now I have pain in 10 different locations of tendons & 2 bursa spots. Naproxen is my best friend.

One thing after months of searching and no answers from Drs. yet, I have it narrowed down to 3 things..

1) Mesenchymal syndrome, collegen related, the wrong collegen is being produced so you don't have normal repair, also called disorganized collegen.

2) Hypermobility, I meet 3 of the 5 checkpoints.

3) Nonarticular Rheumatism

I have been to site after site, find lots of people posting they have this problem but nobody ever has an answer, so I kept digging & digging & that is what I've found so far. My newest Rheumatology Appt is in 2 weeks, so I'm crossing my fingers I get some firm answers there!

These sound like my symptoms - tendinitis/tendinosis in knees, elbows, hands, hips, and sometimes shoulders, and one of my ankles even got into the act at one point. Plus I dislocated both kneecaps within a three-month period, and also have some muscle cramps but I don't know if that's related. It all started about two years ago, and I'm 31 now.

I've also been to lots of doctors and had lots of tests but they keep coming back negative. Has anyone gotten a diagnosis for anything like this at all? It just seems like the connective tissue is weakened and/or not healing well, but no one seems to have any ideas why this might be the case. Meems, your ideas sound like possibilities for sure - but are there other conditions that could cause this as well?

Also, has anyone found any meds, exercises or other therapies that have helped treat this kind of pain? I am trying to keep in shape but my physical therapist keeps telling me to stop doing whatever it is I'm doing (biking, strengthening, swimming, etc.) as soon as I start getting substantial pain. I'm getting ultrasound therapy for my elbows right now and kinesiotaping the heck out of them but I don't think that's helping.

Also, meems, I might lay off the naproxen if I were you. I had about a 6-month period of really bad pain flareups, and in retrospect I think the severity might have been due to doping myself up with high doses of naproxen. When I found out that naproxen interferes with collagen deposition (and hence healing) I went off it, and though the pain continued the episodes after that were not as severe. Anyhow, it's just an idea.

Hi

One of the things that helps my pain is massage. Its because my muscles all
get tight. Its also that heat is helpful. I also find a hot tub to be helpful.

When it comes to exercising and things. I do get into water, but not exactly
for exercising, its for the heat.

I do cardio exercise, but only minor type.

donna

So I think I figured out what I have that is causing my tendinitis/tendinosis in multiple places, plus patellar dislocations - it's called Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (or, alternatively, Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome).

JHS is a genetic disorder affecting collagen production, and is thought to be a mild form of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type III. It can result in multiple tendinitis/tendinosis, bursitis, sprains/dislocations, easy bruising, etc. Pain usually starts in childhood/adolescence but also can first be symptomatic in adulthood. It is apparently not that uncommon but underdiagnosed.

If this sounds like your symptoms, check it out. Here are a couple of links that I found useful. I apparently can't directly post links yet (being a new user) so sorry to have to write them out like this:

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swiftfox, I have had very similar symptoms but have been unable to get a diagnosis of any sort. It started up about three years ago with a bad attack that left my lower arms and hands unusable and started down my lower left leg. The intensity subsided after about a week. over the last few years I've had similar attacks of less intensity but I don't think the affected tendons have ever healed properly from the initial attack. The tendonitis has progressively spread to different areas of my body. So far I have it in my wrists, forearms, elbows, shoulders, arches of feet, hips, and most recently knees. I also developed a strange visual issue and ringing in the ears about that same time but Im not sure if these symptoms were stress induced from worrying I had various diseases. Multitude of blood tests, MRIs and xrays came up negative. I gave up and have just been trying to ignore it for the last year or so. If you make any discoveries, please let me know.

I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and have frequent tendinitis in multiple locations. At best, I get it down to a dull roar, but it is always with me. Basically both wrists, base of both thumbs, hips, knees, ankles are affected to various degrees depending upon activity.

I would urge anyone with these symptoms to be evaluated by a geneticist and/or rheumatologist. EDS cannot be cured, and treatment is limited. The vascular form of EDS leads to rupture of the blood vessels and hollow organs. Other forms cause disability. But understanding the nature of the problem is invaluable.

Inflamation
 

I have been diagnosed with Plantar fasciitis in both feet, Achilles Tendinitis in both ankles, Retro Calcaneal Bursitis in both heels, elbow tendinitis on top and below (tennis and golfers), shoulder pain and wrist pain that have been x-rayed but not an MRI yet. I don't have any muscle pain. I'm very active and I'm struggling with why I keep getting all these itisis. I've been going to PT for 3 months now for my achilles and bursitis. 4 Dr's later no one can give me an answer.

Have you been using fluoroquinolone antibiotics frequently?
Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox?

These have been shown to affect tendon metabolism and integrity. When severe the tendons may rupture. This is not well understood yet, esp why some people are more affected than others.

There are also genetic tendencies as mentioned in the previous posts. It also might be an issue with people with Marfan's syndrome. This is a genetic problem with collagen maintenance.
People with Marfan's also have weak artery walls and need supervision to prevent dissections. They are taller than normal and sometimes have rib cage abnormalities too..but the Marfan's females I've known had very mild physical signs. It was their male children who had it severely. One had a tendon injury in a sprained ankle that did not heal up properly and she had to have a special operation by an orthopedic surgeon.

There are some supplements to target tendon issues, and they typically contain some form of plant product with silica and also magnesium. Some foods are higher in silica than others, whole grains (not processed), green beans, bananas.
http://www.vitalhealthzone.com/nutri...of-silica.html

You can search foods high in silica and see if you are eating those.

Widespread tendonitis
 

I am right there with all of you. I have had chronic pain for 5 years when I was 44. It started in my left shoulder. I now have it in both shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. I have seen numerous doctors in numerous fields. I just met with a geneticist at Iu who is going to do tests but thought that I might have a mitochondrial disease. He will be referring me to another specialists to check that. I am beyond frustrated. I feel my body deteriorating and no one seems to be able to figure out what is going on.