Elbow Pain Relief

Considering the fact that many of us are sitting at our desks for most of the day it is no wonder that more and more people will experience elbow pain as we get older.

We’ll take a look at the symptoms, causes and discuss treatments which are most commonly used to help with elbow pain relief.

Remember at the end of the day this information is intended to help you be more aware of this condition and it is always advisable that you refer to your doctor or physiotherapist for an accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Causes of Elbow Pain

The most common causes of elbow pain are centered around over-use and accumulation of repeated trauma to the area.

Small tears in the surrounding tendons can cause inflammation and pain. The problem can become significantly worse over time since as the tendon repairs scar tissue usually forms and can lead to lack of blood flow to the area.

Elbow pain is particularly common with golfers (golfer’s elbow) and tennis (tennis elbow) players because of the repetitive motions and angles at which the forearm has to twist. With that said research does show that tennis players and golfers aren’t the only ones with elbow pain.

Those who workout intensively at the gym and those who have desk jobs are actually a larger portion of the population with elbow pain. Very interesting and I believe will become a greater issue in the next several years so those who are reading this should be particularly aware of this problem and hopefully take the preventative steps necessary to avoid elbow problems.

Symptoms of Elbow Pain

The symptoms are pretty clear with elbow pain. Usually the pain originates on the inside or outer-side of the elbow and shoots downwards.

Many will also notice that the pain is particularly bad when twisting the forearm or wrist. Often times this same can occur with a bending motion when a weight is being held or carried.

If feelings of numbness occur in any form then it is of extreme importance that the activity causing this be stopped immediately since this could mean nerve damage which could last a life time.

Treatment of Elbow Pain

Unfortunately when it comes to elbow pain relief the only thing that will work 100% of the time is that the activity causing the pain be identified and stopped for at least a few weeks to allow the area to recover. With that said, it can be a sign to check your form when working out in which case a personal trainer would be a great idea to give you that feedback you need.

Further to this, some have mentioned that icing the area for 10 minutes at a time can help reduce inflammation and swelling. In this case the RICE principal is undoubtedly the standard treatment – Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

With respect to compression this is a better long term strategy as it takes pressure off the tendons which may be pulling at the elbow joint, so you may want to look at something such as this Schiek Elbow Sleeve which is both breathable and expels moisture.

Additionally, many in the strength training field have given praise to a supplement by the name of Cissus which is vine plant that has been used throughout history for helping heal broken bones and a number of other medical conditions such as osteoporosis, asthma and even obesity because of its antioxidant properties. I find this of particular interest especially since it has been given a rating of 9.1/10 by users of this product.

It is also always a good idea to supplement with Omega 3’s because their anti-inflammatory properties can help with reduction of swelling and tissue scarring – try the best rated Nordic Naturals Omega-3.

Other forms of treatment to help with elbow pain relief includes anti-inflammatory medication (Prednisone), cortisone injections or even surgery, but it is also a good idea to find a qualified physiotherapist who can help you build strength in the area and give you exercises/stretches to prevent you from taking these last measures.