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Elbow Pain

March 1st, 2020
Tennis elbow (aka Lateral epicondylitis) often gets in the way of doing the things you love. It can even affect the simplest of tasks like making a cup of tea.

You don’t have to be a tennis player to suffer with tennis elbow! It is actually a misnomer as it occurs in roughly only five percent of people who play tennis. The cause of tennis elbow is down to repetitive strain of the forearm extensor muscles. Practically any occupation, sporting endeavour, or household activity that has repeated use of the forearm and wrist may lead to this condition. Certain activities and occupations are more commonly associated with tennis elbow, such as plumbing, painting, fishing, computer use, and playing certain musical instruments. Tennis elbow is most common in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 but can affect people of all ages.

Symptoms:
Tennis elbow causes pain from the elbow into the forearm and wrist, it is normally made worse when lifting or gripping things. The pain caused by tennis elbow will make the arm feel weak – so things like picking up a kettle, turning a doorknob, or even shaking hands can feel difficult.

Diagnosis:
In many cases, your chiropractor can diagnose tennis elbow (Lateral epicondylitis) simply by listening to you describe your symptoms, performing a physical examination, and learning about your lifestyle and activities. However, if they suspect other reasons like a pinched nerve, fracture, or arthritis are causing your pain, he/she may refer for X-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), or Electromyography (EMG).

Treatment:
Tennis elbow isn't going to disappear overnight – as a general rule it can take 4-6 weeks to resolve the problem. As with any condition, sometimes, it can be slow to respond initially but remember to persist and not get discouraged.

Mark Jones form Well Adjusted Health will initially give you advice on how to reduce the inflammation around the elbow. This normally involves;
• Rest, avoiding certain activities especially if they are painful.
• Ice, twenty minutes, three to four times per day.

Mark will quickly be able to determine if a misalignment in your spine, neck, or shoulders may be causing an overcompensation injury. Many patients are surprised that adjustments to the spine of the neck (cervical spine) and mid-back (thoracic spine) are helpful in resolving tennis elbow. These regions are, after all, not even adjacent to the elbow. A key chiropractic principle is that the body functions as a whole, not as a jumble of isolated parts.
Nerves travelling to and from the entire body enter and exit the spinal cord via joints between spinal bones. Consequently, dysfunction in the spine may influence nerve flow to distant joints, including the elbow. In addition, muscles, tendons and other structures form an interconnected 'chain' from the spine down the shoulder and arm.
This is why during an Initial Consultation Mark would carry out a thorough examination, which includes general tests as well as specific orthopaedic and neurological tests to assess:
• Range of motion of the affected part
• Muscle tone
• Muscle strength
• Neurological integrity

Mark will then correlate all the exam findings, with the details of your health history and create a bespoke treatment program to suit your needs. He will explain clearly the findings from the tests and will explain what the problem is, what it will take to correct the problem, how long it will take, and costs involved. If you’re suffering from tennis elbow, we can help you squash the condition. Call our office today to schedule a consultation. We look forward to helping you get back in the game.

Call our team at Well Adjusted Health today for help.

If you have a specific question regarding any pain or problem areas, or would like to book a Free 15 minute consultation for you or your family please call: Well Adjusted Health on 01903 892171.
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