Elbow pain? If it is on the inside portion of the elbow it is called medial epicondylytis or Golfer's Elbow. When the pain is on the outside of the elbow it is considered Tennis Elbow or lateral epicondylytis. Wact the video above for more info.
Tennis Players often start to develop painful symptoms in the lateral portion of their elbow. This painful condition causes inflammation of the tendons that cross the elbow. The tendons are dense muscle fibers and are encased in a connective tissue called fascia. The fascia is the nerve rich connective tissue between muscles and bones. When extra stress is put onto the muscle tendons there is extra stress placed on the fascia as well causing its shape to be distorted. The distorted tendon tissue becomes gritty and causes increased friction. The increased friction causes more pain and inflammation as the athlete uses the involved muscles repetitively.
Core Health has a unique approach that addresses the toughest cases of tennis elbow. Since you are on our web page we won't be advising what other people do since we do not know what they do. Let's start with the goal of getting results as fast as possible. We have seen great results using the following therapies each visit. Within 8-10 treatments our patients are doing much better and they are back on the court. Shock Wave addresses adhesions that form in the fascial plane of the forearm muscles. ESWT is a painless treatment that yields quick results. Core Health is the only provider in Fairfield County using this highly effective therapy for forearm and elbow pain. Graston is a technique that allows the intracellular fluid that builds up in swollen joints of the forearm to be released across the cell membrane. Infra Red Light Therapy allows for photobiomodulation to occur to promote cell synthesis. Think of photosynthesis for plants except this is for soft tissue. It will vasodilate the forearm muscles and allow healing blood to help the tissue heal faster. Cupping is an acupuncture tool that Core Health Darien uses to obtain faster relief. Beware this method leaves red marks that fade over a few days. Patients report some minor discomfort but often feel immediate results. Cold Laser therapy is a noninvasive treatment to promote the forearm muscle tissue regrowth. This is painless, many patients wonder if anything is happening at all! Be assured it works quite well.
Tennis Elbow FAQ's What happens when Tennis Elbow is left untreated? If tennis elbow is left untreated you run the risk of needing surgery. Conservative treatment is the best way to address your symptoms. Leaving symptoms lingering is dangerous to your overall health. The hand and forearm muscles will increase tension on the epicondyles. This will make your tennis elbow worse, no medical doctor would suggest this course of health action as an option. Most x-rays do not show much clinically significant information to your medical doctor or health care provider. Healing tennis elbow can take weeks and even months. You really want to avoid surgery. What's the main cause of Tennis Elbow? Raquet sports like tennis and squash require a concentrated force to hit the ball there is a corresponding rebound force back into the elbow joint. The repetitive forces can lead to an overuse syndrome causing elbow pain. How long does tennis elbow take to heal? That depends upon on how long you have the pain in the lateral epicondyle and how often you continue to play against medical advice. Anywhere from a few treatments to several months of treatment. Which is better Hot or Cold? Since the muscles tend to be inflamed with overuse syndromes ice is your best option after playing tennis to address the symptoms. Heat will further inflame the muscle tissue. Heat prior to racquet sports. Does Massage help? Massage can always help with lateral epicondylitis. You should also have the neck and shoulder muscles massaged too as the elbow is part of a kinetic chain that starts with the brachial plexus. You should avoid playing racquet sports the day after a massage. Can Tennis Elbow heal itself? Yes certainly, minor cases will respond to rest and ice and require no medical treatment. I suggest keeping the elbow bent will take the stress out of the joint.One might consider their health and stop playing tennis, that alone will reduce stress on the elbow and should stop tennis elbow pain. That is not what a tennis player wants to hear. So let's answer the question again with a better answer. In health, the elbow is a magnificent hinge-type joint. The bones in the elbow are the radius, ulna, and humerus. Ligaments hold the bones together and the muscles attach to the elbow bones to allow movement. What makes Tennis Elbow worse? Ignoring symptoms and medical advice is a good way to make a small health problem a bigger health problem. While x-rays do not show much and MRI can demonstrate more of the soft tissue aspects of lateral epicondylitis. Overuse of medicine is another problem. The physical stress on the muscles in the forearm will be minimized but not addressed. The symptoms are covered up leading to the false idea that the health issue is solved.
Bench presses can strain the elbow and cause elbow pain. Pushups and chin-ups add stress and can contribute to your elbow pain. If you notice pain in your forearms and hands you should stop and have your elbow looked at by a medical doctor. If you push it too far in an effort to reduce elbow pain you may end up needing surgery to resolve your tennis elbow symptoms. It is my medical opinion that you do not exercise the affected elbow when you have tennis elbow pain. The longer you continue to play tennis the longer a treatment plan you will need to resolve your tennis elbow symptoms if you are not a candidate for surgery. Go see a doctor as the elbow pain worsens. The video below goes over some stretches that can ease your elbow pain.
The combination of Graston. Cupping and Cold laser will have you back in the game in no time. Core Health Darien is about 5 minutes from the Stamford line. We see many patients from Stamford with their elbow pain.
Basically, lateral epicondylitis is the medical term for tennis elbow. The forearm and hand movement is essential to the sport of tennis. Overuse with any sports injury is a serious problem. Consider the velocity a pitcher uses in their sport. How many times do you hear about Tommy John surgery? It is a surgery to tighten the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. The stress on the elbow from 95 MPH pitches is another overuse symptom that affects the lateral epicondyles. Think of all the muscles uses to throw a pitch. Hitting a tennis ball is tough on the forearm muscles and ligaments.
Golfer's elbow is called medial epicondylitis. Golfers may notice pain or stiffness in the hand as well as the inside of the elbow and forearm. The sport of golf like tennis puts more stress on the muscles and ligaments of the inside of the elbow. Both treatments are similar just to different regions of the forearm. Some rely on medicines like Advil or Aleve to remedy the symptoms of a golfer's elbow. Rarely do these patients require surgery to resolve. People with Golfer's elbow should take a lesson to reduce stress on the medial elbow. Exercises to strengthen the muscles of the forearm, hand, and wrist are more effective than medicine alone.
Treatment options include anti- inflammatory medication, elbow braces, and perhaps cortisone shots, and the expected rest and ice. What happens when this fails to cure your tennis elbow ? We have an interesting solution that is unique and particularly effective. Dr. McKay uses a combination of therapies that when combined have a synergistic effect in that our results have had tremendous impact for our patients. We use shockwave therapy to relieve tennis elbow pain. Trigenics also allows us to speed your healing time. We use many sophisticated therapies to help you with lateral epicondylytis. Shockwave or EPAT is a new method to break up soft tissue lesions that contribute to your elbow pain.Our goal is to get you pain free as fast as possible. Since we are very close to New Canaan, we treat many of your friends and neighbors from New Canaan
This may seem complicated but the results are outstanding which is the most important thing. Our tennis elbow treatment is highly effective and will have you back on the tennis court pretty quickly.If you would like to learn more make an appointment by clicking the red click to schedule button below the tennis player. We look forward to help you back on the court without any tennis elbow pain.