What’s Lateral Epicondylitising You?

Yes, the term is a mouth full

Yes, the term is a mouth full. You cant say it. You certainly cant spell it, but it may be something that is bothering you right now. Lateral Epicondylitis has several other names, such as shooters elbow, archers elbow or the more popular tennis elbow. While this is a popular injury for tennis players, the majority of people who have had treatment have never touched a racquet. Tennis elbow usually occurs due to repeating the same types of actions continuously over time using the arm. This could be hitting tennis balls, hammering nails, gardening, painting, even computer work. The constant repetition puts too much strain on the tendons in the elbow. The term Lateral Epicondylitis technically does not match tennis elbow. The -itis refers to inflammation in medical terms. However, this injury generally does not cause inflammation. The issue is the wear and tear inside the tendon itself. This condition, known as tendonosis, is believed to lead to degeneration. A degenerated tendon generally can have an abnormal amount of collagen fibers. The body will then produce a type of cell called fibroblasts. This causes the collagen to become weak and can be easily injured. Every time the collagen breaks down, scar tissue forms in the tendon. The reason why tendonosis occurs is still unknown. One thought is that the forearm tendon creates little tears with excessive activity. The tears are constantly strained and re-injured due to the constant activity. At some point, the tendon stops trying to mend. The scar tissue never fully heals, leaving the elbow in a weakened state. This injury occurs most in people from 30-60. The main symptom of tennis elbow is tenderness and pain on the outer part of the elbow. The pain could spread down toward the wrist. The muscles in the forearm could also feel tight and sore, especially in the morning. The pain tends to get worse when the wrist is bent backward or the palm is turned upward, or something is held with a stiff wrist or straightened elbow. Simple movements could aggravate the injury. Just reaching into the refrigerator to grab something could cause pain. On occasion the elbow will feel stiff and won't straighten out completely. Chiropractic treatment can restore the normal position and movement of the elbow. Chiropractic manipulation has an advantage over other specialties in injuries such as this. It is imperative to manipulate and stretch specific joint restrictions of the wrist and forearm during treatment. Chiropractic care is not about just relieving the symptoms. Correcting the underlying problem is the objective of treatment. Before any care begins, a patient will receive a standard chiropractic examination to check for any nervous system interference to the group of nerves called the brachial plexus. Studies have shown that spinal manipulation to the neck is effective in treating tennis elbow because the nerve supply to the brachial plexus originates in the lowest part of the neck. In our office, both ice and cold laser therapy are normal procedures used to ease pain and improve healing of the tendon. Deep tissue muscle work is also used to help break down scar tissue that forms in the muscles and tendons. Exercises are then implemented to gradually stretch and strengthen the forearm muscles. There is also an emphasis on ergonomics and stretching exercises to try and avoid these issues in the future. Chiropractic care is a non-invasive treatment that doesnt involve the use of medication. Chiropractic care can help relieve pain and weakness that you may be dealing with regularly and had no idea how to take care of it. Take some time and look into it. This may just be the thing that does the trick. For further information about this topic, please contact Dr. Lynn Kerew directly at drlynn@lynnkerew.com or visit her website at http://www.lynnkerew.com.

Whats Lateral Epicondylitising You?

By: Dr. Lynn Kerew

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