Arm/Hand: (Elbow)

Elbow pain is a common complaint and there are many common causes for this problem. Elbow pain can affect your work or sports, making the use of arm difficult. Simple things like lifting a cup, turning a door knob, twisting open a bottle cap or a can be painful.

Common types of elbow pain are:

Tennis Elbow or Lateral Epicondylitis – Pain on the outer part of the elbow due to the overuse of forearm muscles while doing activities like gripping, extension of wrist, elbow – typically the backhand stroke in Tennis
Golfer’s Elbow or Medial Epicondylitis – Pain on the inner part of the elbow with activities like repeated gripping, flexion of wrist and elbow – typically similar to Golf Swing.
Olecranon Bursitis –Inflammation behind the elbow that usually occurs after an injury, trauma or prolonged resting of the elbow on a hard surface or also with Gout or Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Sprains –Overstretching or tearing of the ligaments of elbow joint due to a direct blow or twist on the joint.
If physiotherapy is started early then these are easily and effectively treated.

Symptoms

⦁ Acute and severe pain and tenderness
⦁ Swelling around the elbow
⦁ Radiation of pain down the forearm up to the wrist
⦁ Difficulty in bending and lifting the arm
⦁ Difficulty in gripping activities
⦁ Wrist may feel weak at times
⦁ In chronic conditions, it may lead to morning stiffness

Causes

⦁ Repeated elbow and wrist activities leading to overuse and stress to the muscles and tendons E.g.: Gardening, using computer mouse etc.
⦁ Poor sports/exercise technique
⦁ Wrong grip size of racquet for racquet games
⦁ Occupational tasks involving repetitive movements of the wrist and hands
⦁ Injury to the elbow or minor tears of the tendon

Physiotherapy at Our Centre

⦁ Radial Shock Wave Therapy: Increases the blood vessel formation to initiates the healing
⦁ Laser Therapy: Low level lasers cause vaso-dilatation, bringing in more oxygen to the tissue.
⦁ Ultrasound Therapy: Increases the blood supply thereby promoting tissue repair
⦁ Interferential Therapy: Stimulates the muscle and nerve fibres
⦁ Cryotherapy: Use of ice reduces pain and inflammation
⦁ Exercise Therapy: Soft tissues release techniques, frictional massage and stretching

Elbow Guard or Tape: To support the tendons, reducing the stress on them