Archive for the ‘elbow pain’ Category
Posture – Slouching is when you drop your shoulder forward and your head downward. The tendency is for your back to work extra just to maintain your balance. As a result, it puts pressure on your vertebrae, which will likely cause your back to ache. Stop slouching and start to stand and seat straight. This will not only make your look good, it will also make you feel good.
Massage Therapy – Massage helps relieve back pain, shin splints, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel type symptoms, neck stiffness, sciatica, bursitis, headaches, tennis elbow, and low back stiffness by treating trigger points. Trigger points are accretions of waste products in the region of a nerve receptor which manifest themselves in the forms of dull ache, hot or cold, harp pain, pins and needles, and tingling among others.
Exercise – Your bones should carry your weight. But if your weight exceeds the carrying capacity, then you should be feeling pain right now. There are certain exercises that strengthen the bones. Meanwhile, loosing weight is another way to relieve the stress on your bone. People who are either obese or overweight and experiencing pain might not realize that the main contributor to the pain they feel is their weight.
Balneotherapy – “balneo” (from balneum) is a Latin word meaning bath. Balneotherapy is a kind of hydrotherapy that involves bathing in warm water or mineral water. Researches found that balneotherapy possesses significant beneficial effects for people experiencing body pain. Balneotherapy meanwhile should not be applied to people with heart condition unless supervised with primary care provider.
Sleeping position – the best way to sleep is on your side with your knees bend with a pillow between your legs. For pregnant women who experience back pain, sleeping on the side would be the best remedy for it. Place a pillow under your abdomen to support its weight.
Vitamin D – pain can be a manifestation of Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D can be found in fortified milk and cereals, soya milk, margarine, fish, and sunlight.
Hot and cold – back pain can be alleviated by applying cold pack at their back. Other people find heat to be a source of relief. A combination of either hot or cold and massage would also work for other people. Trying out any of these would not do you harm so feel free to explore the possibilities of finding relief to either of them.
Rest – at the office, an all day’s work would mean seating for long hours. This is okay if you are maintaining a good posture all throughout the day. However, the temptation to slouch is great that you completely forget you are slouching. After that, you complain about the pain at your back. Surprisingly, a few minutes of rest is all you need help remove the pain.
John Furnem
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/natural-solutions-and-remedies-for-pain-relief-85337.html
The health of your back depends to a great extent on your posture and body movements, your ability to cope with stress, and your exercise regime.
Many types of back pain can be blamed on weak abdominal and back muscles. That’s why most doctors oppose prolonged bed rest for back pain and instead recommend light physical activity along with pain relief medication and other proactive treatments.
Physical activity may not only provide pain relief, but it can also prevent future back pain. Along with pain relief medication, many doctors and physio-therapists tailor individualized exercise routines to treat patients who suffer from various types of back pain.
A typical exercise program for back pain may involve stretching and strengthening exercises, flexing, and endurance training. A variety of exercises and techniques are available for back pain relief; your doctor can help you choose an appropriate routine, taking into account the cause and severity of your back pain.
Advantages of Exercise for Back Pain Patients
Along with a healthy diet, doctors recommend exercise as an important component of a healthy lifestyle for most people, not only those who suffer from back pain.
The potential benefits of an exercise program for back pain may include: * Immediate, short-term pain relief * Stretching of tight, contracted muscles * Strengthening of weak muscles, which can contribute to back pain * Reducing mechanical stress on the back * Stabilizing the back * Increasing the ease and efficiency of body movements * Improving posture, which can guard against future back pain * Minimizing the frequency and magnitude of chronic back pain * Increasing the likelihood of quicker recovery from back pain in the future * Improving fitness to prevent future injuries
A Basic Exercise Program for Back Pain Relief
A basic exercise program for dealing with back pain involves strengthening the back and supporting muscles. If you have injured your back or have other health problems such as osteoporosis, start the exercises only after consulting with a doctor.
You can start on a gentle stretching and strengthening routine if you have no serious spinal problems.
Exercise #1 For Back Pain Relief:
Abdominal contractions gently stretch the back muscles: 1. Lie on your back. Bend your knees and place your hands below the ribs. 2. Tighten your stomach muscles to squeeze the ribs toward the back. Do not hold your breath. 3. Keep your muscles contracted for five seconds and then release. 4. Repeat ten times.
Exercise #2 To Prevent Back Pain:
Even when you no longer have back pain, doctors often recommend that you continue exercising to strengthen the back. Choose exercises that help align your body correctly and improve your posture to prevent back pain from recurring. For example, curling against the wall can help improve your standing posture. 1. Stand with your back against the wall, with your feet approximately six inches away from the wall. 2. Bend your knees and drop your head and shoulders. 3. Pull your stomach in and slowly roll up one vertebra at a time against the wall.
Exercise #3 To Prevent Back Pain
Strong abdominal muscles prevent many types of back pain so exercises that involve those muscles are often part of physical therapy programs designed to avoid back pain. For example, diagonal crunches not only strengthen the stomach muscles, but also keep the tummy from sagging. 1. Lie on your back. Place your hands behind your head. Bring your knees to your chest at right angles to the waist and cross your feet at the ankles. 2. Exhale slowly while raising your trunk, and move your right elbow as much as you can to the left knee. Slowly lower your trunk. 3. Repeat with the left elbow and the right knee. 4. Repeat ten times.
To improve fitness, you may wish to include stamina-building exercises such as aerobics. As these exercises are more rigorous, start them slowly and only after checking with your physician.
Always warm up before the physical activity and cool down afterward. Walking or light jogging, bicycling, and swimming are some exercises that can provide excellent aerobic conditioning.
Alternative Exercise Therapy Options for Back Pain Relief and Recovery A variety of alternative exercise therapies and programs are available to help alleviate, cure and prevent future back pain. Some of the more popular programs are:
* Tai Chi Chuan: This gentle martial art form provides exercise for the body, while helping the mind to concentrate. The movements relax the muscles, free the joints, and ease tension. Some people suffering from back pain use this technique along with pain relief medication.
* Yoga: This ancient Indian tradition involves a wide range of mind-body exercises including postural and breathing exercises, deep relaxation, and meditation. Many yoga postures focus on increasing spinal strength and flexibility, which can provide back pain relief. According to researchers, regular yoga practice may also prevent some types of chronic back pain.
* Chi Kung: Also known as Qigong, this ancient Chinese system of exercise focuses on breathing and posture while teaching the mind to concentrate. Chi Kung therapists claim that this system may be used effectively for back pain relief.
* Feldenkrais Method: This exercise technique aims to increase the ease and efficiency of body movements. Therapists try to increase your awareness of body movements, while teaching you to recognize and correct muscle tension.
* Buteyko Breathing Technique: This Russian therapy involves exercises in slow breathing and holding the breath. Therapists claim that this technique reduces muscle tension and can provide back pain relief.
Note: When you perform any type of exercise, it is imperative to distinguish between pain and the feeling of exertion. Pain is a signal from the nerves that a certain activity is wrong for you. If you experience pain while exercising, including back pain, you should instead start with mild exercises that feel comfortable.
Treating AND Preventing Your Back Pain
Exercise can be an important part of an effective treatment program for back pain. Customizing an exercise program that’s suitable for you can help you safely strengthen your back, improve your stamina and fitness, and prevent future back pain.
For more information on back pain and effective pain relief options, consult the online knowledge base at eDrugstore.md. To order prescription pain relief medications at discount prices, visit eDrugstore.md home page and look for the pain relief section.
Mark Smith
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/how-to-exercise-for-back-pain-relief-443992.html
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is a common elbow injury of racket sport players and manual laborers. Tennis elbow is an overuse injury resulting from the performance of repetitive motions with the hand and forearm, such as swinging a tennis racket or a hammer. Such repetitive motions can cause inflammation of the muscles of the forearm. The symptoms of tennis elbow include pain, soreness, and weakness in the muscles on the outside of the forearm. The treatment of tennis elbow is usually conservative, relying on rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medication.
When attempting to diagnosis tennis elbow, a doctor or physical therapist will test for tenderness on or near the bony knob of the elbow joint. Pain that increases when bending the wrist back is also indicative of tennis elbow. Tennis elbow related pain also increases when gripping. Thus, shaking hands may be painful. Finally, a perception of weakness or chronic muscle fatigue in the forearm muscles is an indicator of tennis elbow.
Treatment for tennis elbow is usually conservative and passive. Most importantly, people with tennis elbow should avoid the activities that cause forearm pain (e.g., playing tennis) until the injury heals. Rest will often correct tennis elbow in a matter of weeks. In addition, the use of ice and anti-inflammatory medications can ease pain and promote healing. Physical therapy and heat therapy may also hasten the healing process. Finally, upon returning to regular activity, wearing an elbow and forearm brace can prevent recurrence of tennis elbow. Elbow braces, available at drug stores, help prevent tennis elbow by restricting movement and use of the elbow.
Because treatment of tennis elbow and recovery from tennis elbow can be a long, frustrating process, prevention is the best strategy. For tennis players, several equipment adjustments can help prevent tennis elbow. Players should select a racket with a midsized racket head (90 – 105 square inches) and high flexibility (stiffness index lower than 65). Additionally, players should string their rackets with soft strings such as synthetic nylon or natural gut at the low end of the recommended tension range. Finally, to prevent tennis elbow, players should ensure that the grip of their racket is neither too large nor too small.
Besides equipment adjustments, tennis players (and others) attempting to prevent tennis elbow can follow several guidelines related to physical activity. First, strengthening the muscles of the hand, wrist, and forearm is perhaps the best way to prevent tennis elbow. Strengthening these muscles helps reduce strain on the elbow itself. Appropriate and effective wrist and forearm exercises include wrist curls and extensions (with very light weights), squeezing a tennis ball in the palm of the hand, and placing a rubber band around the fingers and extending the fingers. In addition to strengthening exercises, it is important that tennis players consult a tennis professional to ensure that their strokes are efficient, correct, and are not placing undue strain on the elbow.
In conclusion, while tennis elbow is a potentially debilitating injury, taking appropriate preventative measures and consulting knowledgeable professionals can help limit the negative effects of tennis elbow.
M. Xavier
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/tennis-elbow-diagnosis-treatment-and-prevention-101866.html
You keep feeling pain in your elbow and can not figure out why. You are in great physical condition and play tennis every weekend with friends when the weather is nice. You have even joined a tennis club to have access to better inside courts.
Now, you are in pain and do not know why. What is even more important to you is that you can not play tennis without the pain becoming more severe. It is time to see the doctor and hopefully get a pill to get better. Unfortunately, after extensive testing, the doctor tells you that you have tennis elbow-something you thought was just a joke or an excuse for not playing the game well.
Okay, so what is going on in your elbow? Tennis elbow occurs when tiny tears occur in a certain part of the tendon and in the muscle coverings. Even after letting everything heal and taking care of your injury, you will be prone to this condition for the rest of your life.
You begin studying about this topic and learn that tennis elbow has some basic symptoms that include:
* Recurring pain on the outside of the upper forearm just below the bend of the elbow; occasionally, pain may radiate down the arm toward the wrist.
* Pain caused by lifting or bending the arm or grasping even light objects.
* Difficulty extending the forearm fully (because the inflamed muscles, tendons and ligaments do not want to bend).
* Pain that typically lasts for 6 to 12 weeks; the discomfort can continue for as little as 3 weeks or as long as several years.
You realize that you have been having problems for a few months with these symptoms, but did not know that there was a serious problem. You would just take a few aspirin and go on with life-being tough and dealing with the discomfort. Now, you know that by ignoring the pain that you had has caused even more damage that will take longer to heal.
If you had only taken the time to know about tennis elbow, you may have been able to avoid the problem. There were exercises specifically designed to strengthen the arm muscles used when playing tennis. If you had just known about this preventative process, you would have been able to do these before playing. Very much like the stretching you do before jogging-you warm up the muscles and get them ready.
So now you know what to do, but is it too late? It may not be too late. You can start taking better care of yourself and make sure that you are ready to play tennis again. Let your initial injury heal all the way-not just when you think it is better, but after the doctor gives his approval for you to play again. Then, try a warming up the muscles first or wearing a band around your forearm just below the elbow. The extra support provided by the band may help or hurt-ask your doctor for his opinion.
Take the time to get better, and hopefully you will out on the tennis court again enjoying yourself without the worry of another injury.
J. Lloyd
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/do-you-have-tennis-elbow-138242.html
Tennis is a physical sport. Running, jumping, swinging, and sometimes diving on the hard court; like any sport, there are many ways that tennis players can incur an injury. However, there is one injury that is so prevalent among tennis players the injury itself has the word tennis in the name; that injury, of course, is tennis elbow.
While tennis elbow, known medically as lateral epicondylitis, is not limited to tennis players, it is estimated that one third of all tennis players will experience the condition at some point in their lives. Anyone who engages in lifting at the elbow, or repetitive movements of the elbow and wrist, is likely to be susceptible to this condition, so naturally tennis players are at high risk.
The cause of pain from this condition is not a medical certainty, although it is believed that it is caused by small tears of the tendons attaching the forearm muscles to the bone at the elbow joint. It is the muscles of the forearm that are used to cock the wrist back – extensor carpi radialis brevis – that are the suspected culprits in this condition.
So how do you know you have tennis elbow and not some other painful condition? Individuals with this ailment typically feel pain on the outside of their elbow, especially when grabbing an object and cocking back the wrist. The pain is generally more severe when lifting something – although pain while resting should be expected – and it is often described as a pain that radiates down the forearm. Pain from tennis elbow generally starts gradually, although it has been known to have a sudden onset as well.
If you believe that you are suffering from tennis elbow you should consult with your physician immediately. Treatment for this condition is typically noninvasive, and over 90% of patients are successfully treated without surgery. Tennis players can often address the problem through some subtle changes in their equipment and technique.
A good first step is to make sure that you are using a racket with a properly sized grip. Another option is to reduce the tension on your racket strings. That reduction in string tension will soften the impact of the ball, and reduce twisting of the forearm during off-center hits. Lastly, changing your actual tennis stroke can help reduce the negative impacts on your elbow as well. Players who learn to swing without leading the racket with their elbow in a flexed position can often alleviate much of the condition and reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence.
There are noninvasive medical options that can address the pain of this condition as well. Anti-inflammatory drugs are used to combat both pain and inflammation. If a regimen of anti-inflammatory drugs is not successful, cortisone injections are an option that has proven successful for some patients.
However, injections are not always successful and if relief does not come quickly then you are likely not going to be served by continued injections. However, medication is not the only avenue that one can explore when trying to alleviate pain and discomfort in the elbow region. Use of an elbow brace can reduce the strain placed on the elbow during the tennis stroke.
Sadly, if the aforementioned treatment options are not successful then surgery may be the only road to relief. The good news is that surgery has a very high rate of success, and it is only required in a small percentage of patients.
M. Jedediah
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/tennis-elbow-affects-millions-but-it-can-be-beaten-122287.html
The elbow is the joint that connects the end of the upper arm bone, distal humerus, to the bones of the forearm, radius and ulna, with ligaments, tendons and muscles.
The elbow allows us to bend, extend and rotate the arm. The radius and ulna, the two bones of the forearm, fit into the ends of the upper arm bone like a hinge forming the elbow joint. The distal humerus, the upper arm bone, flares out to form the medial and lateral epicondyles. The large bump of the ulna behind the elbow joint is called the olecranon. The olecranon forms the bony prominence of the elbow and connects with the triceps muscles of the upper arm.
At one time or another everyone has typically experienced a minor elbow injury. An example of this is when a person bumps their “funny bone.” The “funny bone” involves the ulnar nerve that runs down the back of the elbow. When this nerve is bumped, a feeling of pain and a tingling sensation is felt down the arm. This pain may be intense at first but is brief and will go away on its own.
Minor or serious elbow pain can include symptoms such as pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, weakness or a decrease in range of motion. Sudden or acute elbow injuries may be caused by a direct blow, a fall, or a penetrating injury. Other elbow injuries can occur by twisting, jerking, jamming or bending the elbow abnormally.
Examples of acute injuries include bruises, sprains, strains, fractures or dislocation. Overuse injures can occur when too much stress is placed on a joint or other tissue. This can be caused by overdoing an activity or through repetition of an activity. Some examples of overuse injures are bursitis, swelling behind the elbow, tendonitis, micro-tears in the connective tissue, and radial tunnel syndrome, which is the pinching of the deep radial nerve near the elbow joint.
Elbow treatment depends on several factors; the location, type and severity of the injury, how long ago the injury occurred and a persons age, health condition and activities. Elbow treatment measures include the application of a brace, splint, or cast, physical therapy, medication and in some cases surgery.
The elbow is a major joint that provides us with movements we use each and every hour. Taking care of this important joint is important in good health.
Jeff Foster
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/elbow-pain-a-funny-bone-with-no-laughing-matter-83707.html
“Tennis Elbow” is the common name for elbow pain originating on the outside or lateral side of the elbow. This problem occurs when an irritation or inflammation of the tendons of one or more forearm muscles at their attachment to the bony protuberance near the elbow joint, called the lateral epicondyle. The medical term for this condition is lateral epicondylitis, in essence an inflammation of the epicondyle. If the problem is located on the inside, or medial side, of the elbow it is frequently known as Golfer’s Elbow or medial epicondylitis. This, however, is not as commonplace as lateral epicondylitis.
Tennis and golf are not the only activities that can cause epicondylitis. Any activity that requires repetitive gripping of objects can bring about the problem. Many people develop “tennis” or “golfer’s” elbow from other activities such as prolonged carrying of heavy bags, knitting, chopping food, and/or computer work using unsuitable wrist and arm posture. Using improper techniques when starting any sport, trying out new rackets or clubs, or extending the intensity or duration of an activity or exercise can also cause the affliction.
Epicondylitis can occasionally start farther up the arm or even in the neck. The nerves that control the forearm muscles may become irritated because of a disc problem or spinal subluxation, thus making the muscles tense and placing marked strain on the tendon attachment(s). This makes for a predisposition to elbow pain irrespective of the exacerbating cause. Complications such as further subluxations and arthritis can occur if the affliction is left untreated. Evaluation and treatment by a qualified chiropractor, such as your Chiropractor can remedy the affliction and assisting in avoiding future complications.
Appropriate treatment is essential because epicondylitis seldom, if ever, resolves on its own. A qualified professional such as a chiropractor can determine the exact cause of the problem and initiate the proper care and treatment. This might include modalities such as ultrasound, electro-therapy, massage, hot and cold therapies, bracing, and home stretching and exercises. Chiropractic management has proved, time and time again, to be extraordinarily beneficial in the most thorough management of this problem.