Dr. Eugene Housdon
Have you been experiencing pain and discomfort in the elbow, specifically the outside or inside of the elbow? Is it painful to do everyday tasks like brushing your hair, gripping a cup of coffee, typing on a keyboard? Maybe these were once easy to perform and now they have gradually become unbearable to do? And does your forearm burn or is tender to the touch? Well you could be experiencing lateral or medial epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow and golfer elbow and here at Empower Physical Therapy we can help!
These conditions are commonly associated with tennis and golf players, but in fact a wide array of repetitive activities of the wrist and elbow along with gripping can cause this injury. We have seen this injury caused by many different occupations like painting, working on automobiles, computer work, carpentry, and manufacturing to name a few, and can also be from at home everyday tasks like gardening, typing, and cleaning your home. These injuries are commonly seen in a population from 30 to 60 years of age, but any age can suffer with this injury. It has been shown that repetitive movements can cause swelling and irritation to the tendons that connect from the elbow to the hand. These repetitive movements cause micro tearing to the muscle and tendon that in turn will cause swelling and pain.
Here at Empower Physical Therapy, we have very knowledgeable clinicians that can help you manage and treat the pain associated with Epicondylitis. Physical Therapy has been shown to be a successful intervention used in the treatment of epicondylitis for both the lateral and medial elbow. The first thing we will do is educate the patient on the injury and how to avoid activities that will further aggravate the problem. Also proper education on correct strengthening and Range of Motion exercises have been proven to help reduce swelling and pain associated with epicondylitis. It also has been noticed to treat as easily as possible. If left untreated, epicondylitis can become chronic and can last for months or sometimes even years. Please give us a call today so that we can help relieve the suffering and pain involved with these injuries!
