When we think of orthopedic pain, our minds often go to shoulder, back, and knee injuries. These are some of the most common body areas where one will experience pain. As a result, healthcare providers are often fairly adept at diagnosing and treating issues in said regions.
However, there are obviously also other areas of the body that can cause us pain. Elbow pain is one issue that is more uncommonly seen by clinicians. Luckily, chiropractors are well-equipped to deal with elbow pain of many types. In this post, we’ll review some common elbow injuries and demonstrate how chiropractic care can help you overcome these issues.
Tennis Elbow
Lateral epicondylitis, also known as tennis elbow, is a painful ailment that affects the outside portion of the elbow. This problem is frequently seen in tennis players, due to an overuse of the muscles on the outside of the forearm, known as the wrist extensors. This overuse commonly occurs due to the backhand stroke.
Tennis elbow takes a long time to heal. Because it is an overuse injury, patients tend to compound the problem by continuing to perform the provocative motion over and over, even when the elbow is hurting.
Golfer’s Elbow
Medial epicondylitis, or golfer’s elbow, can be thought of as the “opposite” injury of lateral epicondylitis. This problem affects the inside portion of the elbow.
Much like tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow is caused by repetitive motion of the muscles on the inside of the forearm, known as the wrist flexors. These muscles are heavily relied upon when golfing. Therefore, if a golfer develops this issue, but continues to golf, they will just exacerbate the problem more and more.
Muscle Tear at the Elbow
While it is rare to tear a muscle at the elbow, it can and does happen. For instance, both the distal biceps and triceps tendons can tear when under heavy tension. This usually occurs when someone is trying to lift something extremely heavy and the muscles can no longer support the weight.
To reiterate, this issue is very uncommon in the average population. It usually happens to powerlifters or those working jobs which require heavy lifting day in and day out.
In some cases, surgery may be necessary to reattach the muscle or tendon that tore during the injurious event.
Treatments for Elbow Issues
There are tons of different treatment methods that can work for elbow pain. However, it’s important to first receive an accurate diagnosis for your elbow issue before moving forward with treatment.
For instance, there are a variety of treatments for tennis elbow that work very well. But if they are used for golfer’s elbow, they could make the problem worse. Specifically, stretching out the forearm extensors can decrease the pain associated with tennis elbow. But this same motion will often create a flare-up for those with golfer’s elbow.
Exercise
Exercise is often helpful for elbow pain. Lightly moving and stretching the painful area can promote blood flow to the region, which tends to speed up healing. Of course, you don’t want to overdo it when you’re exercising with an injury. If you do too much, or push too far, you could make it worse.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractors can help those with all different kinds of elbow pain. By performing specific manipulations on the spine, your chiropractor can realign this structure, which often leads to less pain and dysfunction.
If you are dealing with an elbow injury, chiropractic care can offer relief! Our professionals at Keystone Chiropractic can help you today. Book your session now!
