health & fitness
By Dr. Michael Hatrak and Dr. Kristin Marchman
Is your tennis game becoming a pain
in the neck due to pain in your elbow?
Do you experience discomfort
when simply pouring a glass of orange
juice in the morning or picking up after
your kids? What you most likely have is
a classic case of ?tennis elbow? or ?lateral
epicondylitis,? in medical terms. The
term literally means ?inflammation in
the outer elbow.? Pain is felt on the lateral,
or outside, portion of the elbow and
worsens with many activities, such as
swinging a tennis racket, lifting with the
palm down, using tools and opening jars.
While tennis players are commonly involved,
anyone who uses repetitive wrist,
elbow and arm movements in their work
or sport may be affected.
Tennis elbow is actually fairly common
and results from a compilation of stresses
in the elbow joint, often from the sport of
tennis itself. When the arm uses force and
speed to hit a tennis ball, the repetitive
stresses on the tendon attachment at the
elbow joint begin to cause degeneration in
58 November/December 2009
Conquering
Elbow Pain
the tendon, most commonly the extensor
tendons. The degeneration leads to tiny
microtears in the tendon where it attaches
to the elbow and pain and inflammation
occur on the outer aspect of the elbow.
The microtears in the tendon create instability
in the joint which, in turn, causes
a disruption in the two bones of the forearm.
The radius and the ulna become
subluxated, or misaligned, with repeated
swings of a racket.
Although conventional forms of treatment
for tennis elbow, such as cortisone
shots, ice, stretches and a tennis elbow
strap can provide temporary relief, the
issue of misaligned bones and a slowly degenerating
tendon must be addressed. By
first addressing the misalignment (the two
bones that most often dislocate) with a series
of specific manual adjustments, the
bones will reset and recover their range of
motion. If untreated, in an attempt to
compensate for misplaced bones in the
elbow, the wrist and shoulder frequently
subluxate, as well.
The second aspect of the injury is to
address the surrounding soft tissue, especially
where the microtears have occurred.
Through rehabilitation using a
Class IV Laser, light therapy penetrates
deep into the area of microtrauma to
promote adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
synthesis. ATP is responsible for regenerating
damaged cells in the body. The laser
is clinically shown to accelerate healing,
reduce swelling (which is often the
culprit of pain) and increase lymphatic
drainage and collagen formation.
The combined effort of specific therapeutic
adjustments to the bones in the
elbow and laser therapy has generated
numerous success stories for tennis elbow
patients. The lasting result is an improved
tennis swing with the only thing missing
being the pain?helping you stay in the
game, and ahead of the competition.
For more information on Synergy Release
Sports or its doctors of chiropractic, visit
synergyreleasesports.com
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