Glossary
Tendinitis
Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon, the tissue that connects muscle to bone. It can occur as a result of injury or overuse, and repeated movements can trigger the overuse kind.
Updated October 16, 20262 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called tendonitis, tendinopathy.
Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon, the cord of tissue that attaches muscle to bone. The name is often spelled tendonitis, and the broader term tendinopathy covers tendon problems that are not always inflamed. The U.S. National Library of Medicine says tendinitis can occur as a result of injury or overuse 1.
Overuse is one of the two main routes into tendinitis
Injury is a sudden strain or blow. Overuse builds up slowly, when the same movement is repeated more than the tendon can recover from. Typing, mouse use and phone use are repeated movements of the fingers, wrist and thumb, so they can contribute to overuse of those tendons. Evidence on how much computer work contributes is limited, so the honest reading is that repetition is a risk to manage rather than a proven cause.
Repeated motions are the first thing to change
The MedlinePlus prevention advice starts with avoiding repetitive motions and overuse of the arms and legs 2. For desk work, that means varying your tasks, taking short breaks and reducing how many keystrokes you make in a session. Dictation is one way to reduce keystrokes when writing. It does not remove the need for breaks.
Dictation helps with the writing load, not with the pain
Speech can take over drafting, emails and messages, which lowers the number of repeated finger and wrist movements. It cannot treat an inflamed tendon. If pain is persistent, swollen or getting worse, see a clinician. Tendinitis in the thumb is a common example, and it has its own entry: De Quervain's tenosynovitis.
Related terms and guides
Related terms: repetitive strain injury (RSI), De Quervain's tenosynovitis, median nerve.
Guides that cover tendon pain from typing:
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesThe topic this term belongs to
- Access to WorkAccess to Work is a UK government grant for people with a disability or health condition who need support to do their job. GOV.UK says it can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other support, and that the grant does not affect other benefits and does not have to be paid back.
- Assistive technology (AT)Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment or product system that increases, maintains or improves what a person with a disability can do. Speech recognition, voice control and screen readers are common examples.
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a clinical practice area that supplements or compensates for impairments in speaking or understanding language. It uses tools such as picture boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices, and it is augmentative when used alongside speech and alternative when used instead of speech.
- CART captioningCART captioning is a live text service in which a trained captioner types what is said, usually on a stenotype machine, and the words appear on a screen as they are spoken. CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, and it is also called real-time captioning.
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisDe Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition in which tendons that move the thumb become irritated where they pass through a narrow tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist. Repeated thumb and wrist movements, such as texting, can worsen it.
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is UK government support for students with a disability, mental health problem or long-term illness, to cover study costs that come from the condition. It depends on individual needs rather than household income, and it does not have to be paid back.
- DysarthriaDysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way the muscles used for speaking work, so speech can sound slow, slurred or hard to understand. Speech recognition trained on typical voices can make more errors with this speech, so accuracy depends on the person and the software.
- DysgraphiaDysgraphia is a difficulty with writing that does not match a person's cognitive level and age, even after adequate instruction. It can affect letter formation, spacing, spelling, writing speed and composition, and speech to text lets a person get their words onto the page without writing each letter by hand.
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the federal IDEA regulations. For US students, it is the school's plan for the special education and services the child needs, and the team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology.
- Median nerveThe median nerve is one of the main nerves of the arm. It runs from the forearm through the wrist into the hand, giving feeling and movement to parts of the hand.
- Reasonable accommodationA reasonable accommodation is a change to the job, the workplace or the equipment that lets a qualified person with a disability do the work. Under U.S. law, employers with 15 or more employees must provide one unless it would impose an undue hardship.
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI)Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for pain and damage to muscles, tendons and nerves that builds up from repeated movements, held postures or sustained effort, felt in the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
Pages that use this term
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesTopic
- RSI From Typing: Symptoms, Causes and RecoveryGuide
- Hand and Wrist Pain From Typing: What Is Causing ItGuide
- Is it carpal tunnel or tendonitis?Question
- What is RSI called now?Question
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisGlossary
- Median nerveGlossary
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI)Glossary