Elbow Pain | Tennis Elbow – a crushing, unbearable pain on picking things up.
Unable to hold objects for a length of time, or suddenly drop them.
Opening a door is painful with intense elbow pain.
Shaking hands/cooking/using tools/painting is another level of pain Dante didn’t know about…
Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis) is classified as pain that persists at the lateral (outside) elbow for more than six weeks. Although it is primarily a muscle strain, it is the attachment of the muscle to the bone via a tendon where the problem arises.
Our forearms are in constant use and certain repetitive movements, or movements that have additional load to them (like using a screwdriver) can irritate the tendon attachments at the outside of the elbow. This can lead to microscopic tears at the bone, which typically result in pain, swelling, muscle weakness and lack of confidence in using the arm.
It doesn’t necessarily require you to be playing tennis to acquire the problem. The risk factors increase with obesity, repetitive tasks, and for people between the ages of 45 – 54. As with an increase in exercise frequency, or commencing any new movement, it can take time for muscles and tendons to build strength and acquire thickness to cope with the new load placed on them. If your exercise regime has intensified either through weight or repetition, this can predispose the tendons to injury.
According to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, people suffering Lateral Epicondylitis can take a wait and see approach, with signs and symptoms improving usually within 6–12 months if the patient follows simple advice including:
• remain active and do not restrict arm or elbow movements
• do not perform movements and tasks that provoke pain greater than 3 out of 10 (where 10 is the worst pain imaginable)
• do not immobilise the elbow or upper limb
• do not lift an object with hands in the face-down position
(https://www.racgp.org.au/FSDEDEV/media/documents/Clinical%20Resources/HANDI/Physiotherapy-lateral-epicondylitis.pdf)
For those who cannot wait and see, manual therapies can be an effective treatment option for the problem. Tui Na addresses both the muscles and connective tissue that are related to the condition as well as the site of injury itself. While many manual therapies will work with the muscles only, we believe better results can be obtained with work that incorporates the tendons and other tissues that are notoriously stubborn to heal.
Tui Na has a variety of techniques that promote the flow of blood through the irritated site. Unlike many recommendations, Chinese Medicine does not advocate the use of ice in conditions such as these. While it numbs the pain, it constricts blood vessels which in turn delays the ability of tissues to heal. Muscle, or tissues of any sort, require blood flow to bring healthy nutrients to tissues, and to take waste products away.
While Tennis Elbow can be a stubborn condition to resolve of it’s own accord, we have found Tui Na to be clinically effective in addressing the immediate signs and symptoms of pain, restricted movement and loss of grip strength.
It might be something worth looking into if an unhappy elbow persists.
To read more on other arm and hand related conditions, see RSI, Carpal Tunnel or De Quervain’s Syndrome articles
