First, it is important to accept that tendonitis requires you to be patient and rest as much as possible; if you don't allow for a full recovery, you risk further injury.
The good news is that in the majority of cases, the pain caused by tendonitis can be reduced considerably from a point of around three weeks - if you chose to treat it with thorough care.
Full recovery does take a little longer for the tendon to rebuild itself naturally and at the earliest it will take six weeks until scar tissue has been formed for the affected area.
Even after the six week period, the body continues to produce scar tissue to treat the tendon.
Depending on the seriousness of the injury, it can take up to one year until full recovery.
Statistics can reinforce the fact that patience is required in the recovery process.
Nine from ten known cases of reoccurring tendonitis, came about when the injured person returned to the activity (in which caused the initial injury) too soon.
Rest and enduring the recovery process is key to the treatment of tendonitis.
The next section will give you advice to treat tendonitis - but never hesitate to seek medical advice if the pain increases or you don't see any improvement after the first few days.
Furthermore, if you see or feel symptoms that you believe to be related to a more serious injury - make an appointment with your doctor.
The following advice is generalized to cover the different areas of the body that can be affected by tendonitis.
First and most important, is to stop the activity that caused your injury and limit any other activities that require the damaged area to work.
Regardless of the severity, a minimum of three weeks is needed to rest the area.
It would be wise where appropriate to where a brace.
Depending on the area in which your injury is present, this could mean wearing a sling (to protect the shoulder), knee brace, wrist brace and so on.
This will help to prevent further straining your injury and allow for more comfort.
You can use anti-inflammatory medications to reduce swelling of the area, which will in turn reduce the pain.
After the first three weeks of treatment, evaluate whether the injury is better and if so, move on to the next step.
If you feel that it needs more time and that there hasn't been much in the way of recovery - rest a further three weeks.
Start to move the area slowly and carefully, stopping if you feel pain.
It is important that with tendonitis, you must build up the strength again after a rest period.
Continue with very light movements for a period of three more weeks, a period in which you may feel ready for some very light weights.
After this three week period you can begin some light exercise routines, but take your time and don't put too much strain on the area.
When you resume full health, your previous activities can be performed again with a good warm up and cooling down session each time.