Recently individuals suffering from elbow pain have been turning to chiropractic treatment, not only to relieve their pain but also to improve their health and correct this joint injury.
Elbow pain and injuries are often associated with certain sports. This is most common when playing golf and tennis. On the other hand, elbow pain can be caused by a number of things that have nothing to do with sports. In this article we will focus on the pain caused by the games of golf and tennis.
Golfer’s elbow and chiropractic treatment
Although this is more common among those who are playing golf, golfer’s elbow is not only caused by playing golf. Other activities can also result in this type of elbow pain, primarily including repetitive motion of the hand (which is similar to playing golf) that happens when exercising. This can also be a result of overworking the elbow in certain lines of work. The repetitive motion of the hand causes inflammation in the soft tissues, which is a form of tendinitis that causes the pain.
To confirm whether or not you have golfer’s elbow, a chiropractor will ask some questions about your daily activities and when and where you feel pain in your hand. If the pain is found to be centered on the inside of the elbow, you have golfer’s elbow. The information gathered by the chiropractor will also help in identifying which of your daily activities most likely triggers your golfer’s elbow. And with this, he will be able to efficiently plan a suitable chiropractic treatment strategy to eliminate your golfer’s elbow permanently.
Aside from feeling unusual pain on the inside of your elbow, other symptoms for Golfer’s Elbow include the following:
- Pain when flexing your wrist
- Difficulty and pain when extending your arm
- Pain when lifting the arm that you suspect is affected by golfer’s elbow
- Pain when holding or grabbing objects
It is important that you seek medical assistance as soon as you notice the symptoms. Although golfer’s elbow is known to last for several weeks, it can lead to months of pain if not taken care of properly.
Treatment process for golfer’s elbow basically include proper and sufficient rest and chiropractic treatment paired with specifically chosen stretches and exercise. For the treatment plan to be effective and successful, you need to share information about your lifestyle with your chiropractor. Some aspects of the treatment plan will be based on how you live your life on a daily basis.
Aside from resolving your golfer’s elbow problems, a complete chiropractic treatment will also help you prevent this condition from coming back. It is important that you completely understand your condition; specifically, what causes or triggers it to prevent it from returning. Thus, you will most likely have to make some adjustments in your daily activities and lifestyle.
Tennis elbow and chiropractic treatment
Similar to golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow is not only acquired from playing tennis. Thus, if you don’t play tennis, do not think of yourself as safe or exempt from suffering from tennis elbow.
Based on recent studies, tennis elbow has been written off as a sports injury because only 5% of individuals who have tennis elbow actually play tennis. The reason it is called tennis elbow is because one of the causes of this condition is the backhand swing in tennis. A backhand swing strains the elbow muscles and tendons, resulting in pain felt on the outside of the elbow.
Other activities that can trigger this pain include painting, hammering, using a chainsaw, pruning, other common arm movements required when working outdoors. Like the golfer’s elbow, repeated motions of the wrist – particularly repeatedly moving the thumb outwards while moving the palm upwards – can cause the pain on the outside of the elbow. These strain the muscles and tendons of your elbow; thereby, causing pain felt on the outer side of your elbow.
The primary symptoms of tennis elbow include:
- Pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow
- Pain when carrying or lifting
- Difficulty and pain when extending your forearms
- Weakened wrist
- Pain when bending your arms
You can determine if you have tennis elbow or not if you feel pain when you try holding a book with your palm facing the floor. Consult a professional at once as soon as you notice these symptoms and suspect you have tennis elbow.
Treatment process for tennis elbow may include soft tissues therapy, lateral elbow adjustment, and wrist adjustment. These would all depend on how severe your condition is and your daily activities and lifestyle. A chiropractor would also include rehabilitation exercises and stretches for the elbow and wrist to prevent more severe injuries from developing in the future.
For more information on chiropractic treatment for elbow pain and injuries, call Carolina Wellness & Rehab now.