Effective, non-invasive pain relief for chronic tendinopathies!
What is Tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a painful condition that occurs when tendons in the elbow are overloaded, usually by repetitive motions of the wrist and arm. Despite its name, tennis elbow can affect anyone who regularly performs repetitive activities that vigorously use the forearms, wrists, or hands. Some common signs and symptoms of tennis elbow include:
Pain or burning on the outer part of your elbow
Weak grip strength
Pain that worsens when shaking hands or squeezing objects
Pain or discomfort when lifting or bending your arm
Stiffness in the elbow joint
Tennis elbow is an overuse and muscle strain injury. The cause is repeated contraction of the forearm muscles that you use to straighten and raise your hand and wrist. The repeated motions and stress to the tendons can lead to inflammation, degeneration, and potential tearing. Tennis elbow can affect recreational and professional athletes, as well as people whose jobs feature the types of motions that can lead to tennis elbow, such as plumbers, painters, carpenters, and butchers.
Shockwave therapy and the treatment of Tennis elbow.
Shockwave therapy has been found to be effective in treating tennis elbow. Here are some key findings from the search results:
Clinical trials have concluded that shockwave therapy can reduce the severity of pain and improve daily activity in newly diagnosed patients with tennis elbow (Razavipour et al., 2018).
Other studies have compared shockwave therapy to percutaneous tenotomy (a surgical act which involves the division of a tendon) and found that shockwave therapy was a more effective treatment for chronic lateral epicondylitis (Radwan et al., 2008).
Shockwave therapy has been proven to produce analgesic effects (pain relief) and shown effectiveness in managing common tendon problems (Stasinopoulos & Johnson, 2005).
Shockwave therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing pain and improving grip strength in lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy has been proven to be both a safe and effective treatment for chronic cases of tennis elbow.
Osteopathy & Shockwave Therapy: The benefits of a combined treatment approach.
Combining osteopathy and shockwave therapy can be an effective treatment for tennis elbow. Here are some benefits of this combination:
Benefits of Osteopathy
Alleviates pain associated with tennis elbow.
Increases joint mobility.
Benefits of Shockwave Therapy
Provides fast and effective pain relief.
Is a safe and effective treatment modality for chronic cases of tennis elbow.
Can be used as a non-invasive method for tennis elbow management (Rogoveanu et al., 2018)
Benefits of Combining Osteopathy and Shockwave Therapy
Combining radial shockwave therapy with traditional physical therapy is superior to conventional physical monotherapy and significantly reduces pain intensity.
Shockwave therapy can be used as an alternative method for tennis elbow treatment (Razavipour et al., 2018).
How Radial Shockwave Therapy works for Tennis elbow.
Radial shockwave therapy is a non-invasive and highly effective treatment method that enhances blood circulation and accelerates the healing process. It works by emitting acoustic waves (shockwaves) that carry energy and can propagate through tissues (Simplicio et al., 2020). The shockwaves generated by radial shockwave therapy can generate microtrauma in the affected tissues, which stimulates the body's natural healing response. Radial shockwave therapy can relieve pain and promote healing of injured tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues by releasing growth factors in the injured area. It can also increase circulation around injured soft tissues, break down calcified deposits, stimulate cells that generate new bone tissue and connective tissue, and reduce pain by overstimulating nerve endings in the affected area.
In summary, combining osteopathy and shockwave therapy can provide fast pain relief, improve joint mobility, and be a safe and effective treatment modality for tennis elbow.
Jonathan Hall M.Ost, GradDipHeal, BAppSci (HB)
Jonathan Hall is the founder and principle Osteopath at Movement Mechanics Osteopathy, a fully qualified Osteopath and currently studying Western Medical Acupuncture out of AUT New Zealand.
Radwan, Y. A., ElSobhi, G., Badawy, W. S., Reda, A., & Khalid, S. (2008). Resistant tennis elbow: shock-wave therapy versus percutaneous tenotomy. International orthopaedics, 32(5), 671–677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-007-0379-9
Razavipour, M., Azar, M. S., Kariminasab, M. H., Gaffari, S., & Fazli, M. (2018). The Short Term Effects of Shock-Wave Therapy for Tennis Elbow: a Clinical Trial Study. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 26(1), 54–56. https://doi.org/10.5455/aim.2018.26.54-56
Rogoveanu, O. C., Mușetescu, A. E., Gofiță, C. E., & Trăistaru, M. R. (2018). The Effectiveness of Shockwave Therapy in Patients with Lateral Epicondylitis. Current health sciences journal, 44(4), 368–373. https://doi.org/10.12865/CHSJ.44.04.08
Simplicio, C. L., Purita, J., Murrell, W., Santos, G. S., Dos Santos, R. G., & Lana, J. F. S. D. (2020). Extracorporeal shock wave therapy mechanisms in musculoskeletal regenerative medicine. Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma, 11(Suppl 3), S309–S318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcot.2020.02.004
Stasinopoulos, D., Johnson, M. I. (2005). Effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis). British Journal of Sports Medicine 2005;39:132-136.
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