Enthesitis: Symptoms & Signs

Enthesitis is inflammation of the entheses, the specific point where tendons or ligaments attach to bone. Enthesitis causes symptoms like

• pain,
• swelling,
• tenderness,
• stiffness, and
• warmth in the areas of the affected, inflamed tendon or ligament.

This can lead to localized dysfunction of movement. For example, Achilles tendinitis is a form of enthesitis that can cause pain and stiffness in the back of the ankle. This can cause limping and inability to run or jump. Plantar fasciitis is also a form of enthesitis that causes inflammation of the bottom of the foot and can cause limping.

Enthesopathy is simply any abnormality of the entheses, the specific point where tendons or ligaments attach to bone. Both enthesitis and enthesopathy can be caused by injury or diseases.

Enthesopathy and enthesitis causes

Enthesitis and enthesopathy can be caused by injury from trauma (such as from athletic activity like running, jumping, sprinting, or turf toe), gout, psoriatic arthritis, Achilles tendinitis, reactive arthritis, de Quervain's tenosynovitis, ankylosing spondylitis (spondyloarthropathy), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), and rheumatoid arthritis.

Other enthesitis symptoms and signs

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Swelling
• Tenderness
• Warmth

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