ELBOW PAIN- 5 MISTAKES TO AVOID

1
ELBOW PAIN- 5 MISTAKES TO AVOID
http//www.virtualphysicaltherapists.com/
2
Elbow pain can wreak havoc on our daily lives. It
limits our ability to lift, grip, and open a jar.
Even simple things like brushing your hair and
turning a doorknob can be difficult and painful.
We will do anything for relief, but sometimes the
things we do are detrimental!
3
The 5 biggest mistakes that most people make when
they have elbow pain

• 1. Masking elbow pain with medication or even a
  steroid injection rather than addressing the
  problem.
• Instead of covering up the symptoms with
  medication, you should address and CORRECT the
  problem.
• The initial focus of care must be to determine
  the root cause of your pain, not cover up
  symptoms with medication. Pain is your bodys way
  of letting you know something is wrong. We can do
  more damage when we quiet pain with medication
  and cortisone injections without correcting what
  is wrong.
• Pain relief is essential but uncovering and
  fixing the problem is critical. Often the initial
  insult gets better by itself, and thats why
  medications are so popular they buy time and
  allow the body to correct on its own. But we are
  left with not understanding what caused the
  insult poor mechanics when using our
  elbow/wrist. We are prone to re-injury and
  worsening of the insult.

4

• Whenever there is pain, we often blame
  inflammation. The first treatment is an
  anti-inflammatory or a steroid injection.
• But inflammation is not the cause of intermittent
  pain. Pain from inflammation must be constant,
  like a toothache. Pain that is intermittent and
  only brought on with activity or when using your
  elbow is from a mechanical cause, NOT
  inflammation. Treating a mechanical problem with
  medication is the wrong treatment and can lead to
  a chronic condition.

5

• Uncovering the actual cause of your symptoms is
  critical to receiving proper treatment.
• Masking your pain with medication often leads to
  delayed healing and even worsening symptoms.

6

• 2. Settling for a general diagnosis of
  Epicondylitis
• Elbow pain can be caused by trauma, overuse,
  infection, inflammatory conditions, and even
  referred from your spine. It is critical to have
  a thorough mechanical assessment to uncover the
  true cause of your symptoms. 43 of isolated
  extremity symptoms result from a spinal problem
  causing the nerve to refer pain to the joint.
  Those with elbow pain have a chance that their
  symptoms are referred from their neck. A proper
  assessment always starts with ruling out the
  spine.
• Understanding the cause of your elbow pain is
  essential for proper treatment and to prevent
  reoccurrence. If you do not address the causative
  factor, you will continue to reinjure.

7

• 3. Using a Brace and Avoiding Activity
• A short rest period is essential to remove the
  mechanical overload and allow the initial healing
  process. But complete rest is counterproductive
  as it leads to deconditioning and regression.
• An overuse injury only requires a few days of
  rest, and then there should be a gradual return
  to activity.
• Splits Some patients need a period of complete
  rest, but this is rare than the norm. Splinting
  the wrist into extension (upward position for
  lateral Epicondylitis) does remove the stress and
  pain on the muscle-tendon as it attaches to the
  bone. But splints should only use this for a
  short time in severe cases. Splinting has led to
  delayed healing and has caused an increased rate
  of limited work duty, increased costs, more
  medical visits, and longer treatment time. When
  the tendon is frayed and damaged, it needs t to
  be stretched and strengthened to return to its
  normal state. Not using the muscle and tendon
  makes it weaker and more prone to reinjury.

8

• Forearm Counterforce Straps Straps apply
  compression to reduce the muscle pull, so there
  is less stress on the tendon. Straps do reduce
  some pain, but the evidence is lacking on whether
  they are beneficial to healing.

An active rest period is the best option for
proper rehabilitation. Active rest consists of
continuing limited activity. Stretching and light
strengthening exercises should also be gradually
introduced. The goal is to remodel the healing
tendon to its original flexibility and strength.
A flexible and robust tendon is less likely to be
reinjured.
9

• 4. Demanding an MRI for Elbow Pain.
• MRIs are a highly profound picture of our
  internal structures and show a lot of detail. But
  they are still just a black and white picture.
  They do not indicate which structures are
  painful. It is like taking a picture of your
  phones circuit board. It may show water damage,
  but it cannot tell you if your phone is working
  or not. Only by using your phone can you tell if
  there are any problems.
• An MRI may show arthritic changes and damage to
  your tendons, but we must be cautious when we
  automatically blame any changes we see as the
  reason for pain. Only a physical assessment of
  your elbow muscles, ligaments, and joints can
  determine what structures are painful and
  damaged. It is normal to have age-related changes
  in our joints, tendons, and bones as we age. Just
  like grey hair and wrinkles, many of these
  changes are asymptomatic.

10
Relying on an MRI often leads to blaming
age-related changes rather than taking the time
to determine the actual cause of pain. A physical
exam is much more accurate than an MRI in
identifying the function of your muscles,
tendons, and joints and if they are painful. A
physical exam is the only way also to determine
if the pain in your joint is referred from your
spine or has a nonmechanical origin.
11
5. Taking a passive patient role. Research has
shown that the more involved you are with your
care, the better the outcome. Healing is an
active, not a passive process. Most current
protocols for treating musculoskeletal disorders
are passive, including medication, massage,
injections, TENS, surgeryalthough these are all
common treatments, research has only found
questionable benefits. It has shown that the more
passive care you receive, the longer you suffer
and the higher your potential rate of chronicity
and disability.
12
Virtual physical therapists

• info.virtualphysicaltherapists_at_gmail.com

• http//www.virtualphysicaltherapists.com/