Quickly Heal Elbow Pain
When noticing your elbow pain, there are a few things that you can do right now to decrease the chances that the pain will get worse. Right now, you might not be able to lift certain items without pain or bend your elbow in certain movements without pain but with Physical Therapy, we can put you on the path to recovery and pain relief. Until your first physical therapy session, the best thing to do is prevent any further elbow damage.
Step one is to identify the exact location of your elbow pain. Often, elbow pain is a form of tendinitis. You may have golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow. Each affects a different tendon of the elbow. The second step once you know that there is indeed a spot, where pain is emanating from, is identifying the cause of your pain. Is it from playing tennis or golf? Is it from repeated motions at the gym? Is it from lifting something heavy or carrying boxes? Once you know the cause, you can stop doing these activities for a little bit until your elbow heals.
Sometimes, elbow pain goes away on it’s own but if the elbow gets worse or isn’t getting any better, than it is time for an evaluation at Cross Bay Physical Therapy. Our Howard Beach physical therapists will be happy to see your for an evaluation to not only determine a diagnosis for your problem but also get you on the road to a pain free elbow.
Hands On Physical Therapy
Hands on physical therapy at our state of the art facility includes a series of strengthening exercises, stretches, and therapeutic modalities such as massage, ice, heat, and tens stimulation to trigger healing of the affected tendon. A few things that you can do right now includes:
- Heat - If the pain is chronic and has been occurring for at least 1 to 2 weeks, then put a moist hot pack around your elbow and forearm. This brings a flow of nutrients to the area to help the elbow in it’s healing process. Just make sure to avoid any direct contact with the skin to prevent burning yourself.
- Stretch - Perform gently stretches of the forearm to help loosen up the muscles before you come in for a physical therapy appointment. You can do a wrist flexor and a rest extension stretch to loosen up the forearm.
- Wrist Immobilization brace - If the elbow pain is severe, it is probably also present in the form. Immobilization of the wrist helps the muscle rest and assists putting these muscles in a position to heal.
Cross Bay Physical Therapy applies a non-surgical approach to quickly heal elbow pain. Pain is not normal and if you are experiencing elbow pain, please schedule your evaluation at Cross Bay Physical Therapy to receive treatment.
Call (718) 835-0084 and schedule your evaluation.
By Benjamin Bieber