Tennis elbow; treatment options according to the NY Times or resolution options courtesy of your chiropractor.

The typical treatments echoed over and over through Dr. Google and the many medical-based websites all offer the same advice and treatments.  The reality is most of them work poorly or not at all as therapies directed solely at the site of pain are treating the symptom rather than the mechanism of why you hurt.

Recently, the NY Times offered its own in-the-box article with advice that will usually leave you wanting a more effective solution.

The NY Times says Tennis Elbow or lateral epicondylitis is probably the most common stress injury from overuse of the elbow. Have you ever wondered why some of us suffer from it while others who train or play the same way and the same amount of hours don’t?  In order to understand this, we need to look past the elbow and understand the body attached to it.

Stress from impact moves through the elbow and through the lower body through the fascial system as we swing the racket.   The fascial system, rather than the muscles is responsible for how we move in conjunction with our muscles.

In the case of the elbow, a poorly functioning lower body will alter how the upper body moves, including the rotation of the arm through the shoulder. A lack of rotation imparts higher forces at the elbow and its surrounding structures resulting in painful elbows and wrists as well as shoulder pain and neck stiffness.

The article suggests that tennis elbow often can be managed with splints, ice, and shoulder strengthening showing a one size fits all approach to the symptom of elbow pain rather than the cause.

In body mechanics, lower body problems always affect the upper body.  Also, the left leg and hip will affect the opposite right shoulder due to how the body compensates.

Tennis elbow is often a manifestation of biomechanical problems in other parts of the body.

To solve the tennis elbow, a holistic evaluation and history should be performed considering foot, knee, lower back, and even neck and upper back problems in the shoulder.  This is the only way to fully understand what caused the problem.  Your periodic knee or lower back or plantar fasciitis may actually show us why your elbow hurts and are essential clues that must be part of any evaluation of non-traumatic elbow pain.

We are all built differently and a proper detailed history will allow the healthcare provider to fully understand how to evaluate you. An improper history of just the elbow is likely to result in treatment directed to the elbow rather than the cause of your elbow pain.

If the treatment is effective, it is not unusual for multiple symptoms to resolve as well as the elbow.   This is typical in a chiropractic office which focuses on why you hurt and not just where.

Why you should consider a sports-certified chiropractor for tennis elbow first.

• Chiropractors are holistically trained.   Sports-certified chiropractors also understand extremity body mechanics as well as rehabilitation.
• Chiropractors are physician-level providers who perform primary care of the musculoskeletal system. They will evaluate and treat often on the same day.
• Great evaluation skills reduce the need for tests and other interventions.

A new chiropractic patient can expect to have 

• A thorough history taken
• A holistic evaluation of the entire body including the painful area.
• Treatment as long as there are contraindications.
• Foot orthotics may be recommended if the doctor suspects foot problems or if problems in the pelvis are affecting the shoulder and elbow.
• X-rays are occasionally performed on older patients with chronic problems as well as if there was trauma on a younger patient.
• Most patients will get relief within the first few visits and notice that not only their elbow improves, but they will move and feel better overall as the doctor resolves the mechanisms behind their elbow pain.
• Chiropractic care is effective because it improves not only the pain but how you move.

Say no to the brace and condition management that will not resolve the underlying cause but will instead make the problem more chronic.   We are all different and built differently.   One size fits all solutions to elbow pain may offer temporary relief only.  Say yes to better function through chiropractic care and less elbow pain by resolving the mechanism causing it.  Book online here