Tendinosis

"Tendons are rope-like structures that attach muscles to bones. Ligaments are similar structures that attach bones to other bones. When muscles and bones move, they exert stresses on the tendons and ligaments that are attached to them.

When your muscles move in new ways or do more work than they can handle, your muscles and tendons can sustain some damage on a cellular scale. If the increase in demand is made gradually, muscle and tendon tissues will usually heal, build in strength, and adapt to new loads. Athletes use these principles to build muscle and tendon strength with good training programs.

You can, however, do some activity that injures a tendon on a microscopic scale and then do more injury before the tendon heals. If you continue the injurious activity, you will gradually accumulate these microinjuries. When enough injury accumulates, you'll feel pain. This kind of injury that comes on slowly with time and persists is a chronic injury; acute tendon injuries are sudden tears that cause immediate pain and obvious symptoms. Tendon injuries often require patience and careful rehabilitation because tendons heal more slowly than muscles do."

I was recently diagnosed with tendinosis in my left shoulder area.  I want to keep working out, but I don't know if that's the healthy thing to do right now.  I start physical therapy in January and I've got a doctor's appointment in the first week of January as well.  Just wondering if anybody else here has any experience with this, and if so, what kind of therapy is effective and what questions should I ask the doctor about the condition.

The pain mostly hits when I sit upright -- its gradual but then builds up as time goes on.  This condition also has affected my  employment in that I cannot perform my regular work duties (data entry) and I have been forced to seek a new job which does not involve sitting for long periods of time.  

There is also a lot of pain in my mid back just below the ribcage -- I was told that it might be a (rhomboid) muscle strain or tear, but it has not healed in over a year and still causes me pain on a daily basis.

If anyone has ever dealt with this before, I could use some advice on dealing with it and getting back into my regular work and workout habits.

[nihilon_x]

Also, I have had this condition (tendinosis) for over a year, and it does not seem to be getting better on its own -- I have been told that it is a degenerative condition that requires medical attention.

What kind of specialist should I see?