Physical Therapy Works for Elbow Pain

You would think that with the mind-boggling array of technological gadgets out there designed to make our lives easier, that pain resulting from using them would be minimal.

From simple cell phones to more sophisticated smartphones, ipads, iPods, etc.- even the common desktop is quickly being replaced with more sleek laptops and keyboards. Most of the newer gadgets seem to have lesser ergonomic challenges with feather touch screens and reduced vibration.

Since all these are designed to be easier on the wrist, hand, and elbow, you might be surprised to hear the I still see a great deal of such pain problems in new patients coming to see me as a physical therapist.

Why is Elbow Pain on the Rise?

The truth of the matter is that elbow and wrist problems are factually on the rise. The main culprit is that these gadgets don’t come with a warning:

“Should not be used for more than 1 hour at a stretch” or

“Need to stretch your arms after 1 hour of usage”

So most people continue for long hours as they do not have any “pain”. It is the cumulative trauma experienced by the elbow and wrist over a period of time that is damaging to the tendons, not the single isolated event. Most patients who walk in with elbow pain do not recall any specific incident that caused their pain. That is because there is a multitude of incidents that is causing the problem.

Upon further questioning, they usually tell me that there was indeed a major project that they had been working on for the last 2 or 3 months which required more than 8 hrs of work not only in the office but at home too. And there we have the answer to the question: “Why do I have this pain?”

But when I ask them if they did any stretching of their arms, about 90%of those suffering say that they forgot or they did not feel the need to do so.

How Does the Elbow Work?

The elbow joint is a very complex one with many tendons (the ends of muscles where they attach to bones) anchoring to many small bony points of the joint, along with nerves and blood vessels running in between them for cushioning.

The tendons, muscles, and nerves not only work at the elbow but also control much of the wrist and hand functions too. Constant tugging and pulling of the tendons and muscles at the wrist will cause pulling at the bony points at the elbow too. That in turn, leads to slow degeneration and inflammation that can cause the tendons to shred and tear resulting in further pain, swelling, and weakness.

Most commonly this happens at the outside point of the elbow and is called “tennis elbow” because it was first discovered with tennis players. Such a problem is definitely not relegated only to tennis players and I think it would be better named “computer elbow” based on the true cause as seen in my physical therapy department.

Similar pain can happen at the inside of the elbow joint too, it just depends on the forces that occur on the elbow.

Physical Therapy is the Answer for Elbow Pain

When treating elbow the first thing to decide is the degree of the trauma. If the patient comes in with severe pain, swelling, and decreased flexibility, that is usually labeled as “acute” and treatment is mostly geared towards reduction of the inflammation.

Physical therapy is very effective at the acute stage and with my patients a treatment protocol will include such things as ultrasound, taping, and gentle exercises – all helpful in reducing the symptoms.

Protection of the joint is also important so bracing is encouraged. Please note that we do not recommend anti-inflammatory drugs. There are many side effects associated with these medications and they do nothing to actually correct the underlying root cause of the problem.

After the acute stage passes, our physical therapy treatment is now geared towards manual work that is performed by a physical therapist, stretching and gradual strengthening of the muscles. This is coupled with ergonomic assessments and posture training, one of our specialties here at the physical therapy department of HealhtNOW.

Prevention is Always Best

Effective treatment is great once you already have a problem, but prevention is even better. If you have a tendency to work long hours with equipment, it would be an excellent idea to receive a periodic assessment by a physical therapist.

We will check your ergonomics, discuss your lifestyle, and give you simple stretches to do at your desk as well as other home remedies. Don’t continue to live with elbow pain. Let me help you to correct the reason it was created plus help prevent it in the future. Please contact me with any questions you have and let me know if you’d like a free health analysis.