This condition may occur as a result of athletic overactivity, injury, or even improperly fitting shoes with a stiff heel counter. It may also develop along with inflammatory conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter’s syndrome, gout, or rheumatoid arthritis.

Achilles tendinitis involves pain, swelling and tenderness over the Achilles tendon at its attachment and near the attachment. Treatment includes rest, shoe correction, heel lift, gentle stretching, sometimes a splint, and in some cases, NSAIDs. Generally, the tendon should not be injected with a corticosteroid, as it is subject to rupture.

Tenosynovitis

Inflammation of synovium of the tendon sheaths occurs in a wide variety of conditions of over-use particularly involving tendons of the thumb. Both blocks complete or partial movement of the thumb and causes pain. Drug treatment has little part to play in the management of the condition. Local corticosteriod injections are sometimes effective.

Muscle Pains

The medical term for muscle pain is myalgia. Myalgia occurs in many rheumatic disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and polymyalgia rheumatica and fibromyalgia.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica

This is a relatively rare condition of older people, usually not occurring before the age of 50. There is stiffness in the muscles of the hips, thighs, shoulders, and neck, as well as pain particularly in the morning making movement difficult.

Although the cause is unknown, it is often associated with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), temporal arthritis, and cancer. The disorder affects more women then men.

Diagnosis, although difficult to confirm, is based on a physical examination, the patient’s history, and blood tests. Treatment sometimes includes small doses of corticosteroid drugs.