You’ve probably heard of tennis elbow, but you don’t have to be an athlete to experience elbow pain. Whether it’s sports or repetitive motions made throughout the workday, constant elbow pain is a common ailment we treat here at Healthy Life Chiropractic. Your elbow might be called your funny bone, but persistent elbow pain is no joke. Here’s how chiropractic care can help.
Tendons & Tissues
Your tendons are the tissue that attaches muscle and bone. Your elbow has tendons on both sides of the joint and when those tendons become inflamed, it is called epicondylitis (aka golfer’s or tennis elbow). Tennis elbow is when the lateral tendons, located on the same side as your thumb, become inflamed. Golfer’s elbow is when the medial tendons, located on the same side as your pinky finger, become inflamed.
Common Symptoms and Causes
Tennis elbow symptoms radiate from the outside of the elbow to the forearm and wrist. Some sufferers experience a constant ache in their elbow area, where others feel pain only when lifting, reaching, or grasping. Symptoms of golfer’s elbow can be felt as pain on the inside of the elbow when the hand or wrist is lifted or when twisting your forearm or while making a fist. The inside of the elbow may be swollen and tender to the touch. If ignored, these symptoms can worsen and include weakness in the wrists and heads along with elbow stiffness.
This painful inflammation is typically linked to overuse injuries of the forearm muscles during which your elbow is extended with your palm facing down. This includes a number of sports beyond tennis and golf, like baseball or hobbies like gardening not to mention daily tasks at a desk job.
Chiropractic Can Help
Our team of chiropractic professionals are experts at adjusting the joints of extremities including the legs, wrists, arms, and hands along with the spinal joints. When your joints are working as they should, it can mean excessive force and tension are put on the tendons and ligaments. This can be the cause of or can worsen inflammation. If you believe you are suffering from epicondylitis, contact us for a consultation. We will help restore joint motion to relieve elbow pain and allow for complete healing. We can also provide you with stretches and exercises to decrease inflammation and keep your elbow feeling great. Don’t let yourself continue to be stopped by nagging elbow pain. We look forward to helping you during your healing process!