Theraputic Supports for Tennis Elbow
Avoiding Elbow Injuries
March 8, 2009 on 10:31 am | In Causes of Tennis Elbow | No CommentsAvoiding Golf Injuries
To the uninitiated, Golf it is merely hitting a little white ball whilst going for a Sunday stroll in park like surrounding. For the golfing enthusiast Golf is a fascinating lifetime pursuit of physical and mental challenges, that little white ball merely representing a fine balance of knowledge, skill, physical ability and mental stamina and temerity.
This pursuit of excellence does not come without a price. And I am not referring to the countless dollars one can spend on golfing equipment, golf lessons, golf club membership and green fees. I am referring to the physical injuries sustained in attempting to get the body to perform in perfectly aligned movements in perfect balance, co-ordination and timing.
A golf swing is a total body movement, and any single point of weakness can not only result in a poor result, but in bodily injury.
Our body is not naturally designed for the explosive power of the golf swing. The torque built up in the backswing turn is unleashed with controlled fury to send that little white critter down the middle of the fairway at speeds exceeding most open road speed limits. With all the horsepower delivered by a car engine, none compares with the 0-5 second acceleration of a golf ball. No wonder the body of the typical golfer takes such a hammering.
And it’s not just amateur golfers who suffer. It is estimated that over 30% of the pro golfers playing at any one time are playing with injury.
So what are the most common injuries sustained by golfers [excepting existing medical conditions].
Back Pain - golfing back pain results from poor posture and muscle co-ordination during the golf swing. Poor flexibility and muscle strength can cause minor strains in the back that can easily escalate to severe injuries.
Knee Pain - Knee pain occurs from the strain placed on a week knee to stabilise the rotation of the hip axis at the beginning of the swing.
Tendonitis - tendonitis [inflamed tendons is more common at the start of golf season and in new players. There are a number of different locations of tendonitis common to golfers.
- Golfers Elbow - pain is felt on the INSIDE of the upper RIGHT forearm near the elbow
- Tennis Elbow - pain is located on the outside of the LEFT elbow in a right handed golfer. Strangely, tennis elbow is more common in golfers than golfers elbow. Both golfers elbow and tennis elbow can result from a single violent action such as hitting to boards/mat at the driving range or hard fairway surface. However, it more commonly results from repetitive stress from smaller shocks.
- Rotator Cuff - Pain may be felt in the shoulder or upper arm at various phases of the golf swing, or following play, often during the night and when extending arms overhead.
- DeQuervains Tendonitis - inflammation in the tendons that control the thumb, resulting in pain in the wrist near the base of the thumb. Pain typically occurs at the left wrist at the top of the backswing [for right handed golfers].
Shoulder Pain - in addition to rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder pain may also signal a tear in the rotator cuff or arthritis in the joint resulting from joint and scapular instability.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - a repetitive stress disorder in the nerves of the hands, resulting in pain in the tendons where though to where they pass through the wrist to be inserted in the lower forearm. Typical symptoms include weakness, numbness and tingling of the fingers, particularly at night.
Trigger Finger - when the flexor tendon of the finger locks up, causing the finger position to mimic that of being ‘on the trigger’. The condition is caused when the flexor tendon sheath, through which the finger tendons run, is inhibited.
Wrist Impaction Syndrome - another repetitive stress condition where the bones of the wrist bang into one another. Pain and tenderness on the top of the wrist [usually on the right side] at the top of the backswing is a common symptom.
ECU Tendon Subluxation - caused when the sheath holding the wrist tendon to the ulna begins sliding in and out of its groove. Painful clicking in the wrist near the knobbly bump at the end of the ulna bone.
Fracture Of The Hamate Bone - The hamate bone is a small bone on the pinky side of the wrist. Most golfers grip their clubs with the butt-end of the club right up against the hook of the hamate during the swing, leading to fracture of this tiny prominence. Pain and tenderness in left palm, numbness in ring and pinky fingers.
Sunburn - an injury commonly overlooked by the amateur golfer. Four hours in direct sunlight with the penetrating UVA rays passing through clothing and overpowering sunscreens after one hour, is a lifetime injury. And this is one no amount of physical fitness can prevent. Wear proper golf clothing, use a broad spectrum sun block and wear protective eyewear and a hat.
More details on Common Golf Injuries can be found on golfswingclub.com
Causes Of Golfing Injuries
Golf injuries generally result from a combination of poor posture, lack of muscle flexibility and co-ordination and incorrect equipment. All of these causes can be avoided with a golf specific fitness program started BEFORE you ever start playing golf and before every single game.
Golf is not an aerobic sport but the demands on the body are unique. The duration of the game can lead to fatigue, which in turn leads to poor posture and lack of co-ordination. Combined, this lays a perfect ground for injury.
Preventing Golf Injuries
Physical fitness helps prevent fatigue and ensures the body has sufficient strength and flexibility to withstand the demands of the game, for its full duration. The golfswingclub.com website provides a full range of exercises to prevent each of the above injuries. For instance, simple stretches and exercises can be helpful in controlling the symptoms of golfer’s elbow. To prevent golfers and tennis elbow you need to build up your forearm muscles. This can be done using a hand grip or squeezing a tennis ball fro 5 minutes a day.
Wrist curls using a lightweight dumbbell are also effective. By strengthening the muscles and tendons involved with golfers’ elbow, you can help prevent the problem from returning. More details on Preventing Golf Injuries on golfswingclub.com
To avoid playing with incorrect equipment, get your golf clubs fitted by a professional. Ladies, don’t just grab your partners clubs and head for the course. The shaft flexibility of men’s clubs is stiffer than a ladies set; and in most cases will not only give a poor result but tennis/golfers elbow as a bonus.If you buy second hand clubs, take them to the pro-shop for proper fitting.
In upcoming articles we will give you advice on how to get custom fitted for your golf clubs, and exercise drills to correct posture, build muscle flexibility and strength to prevent these common injuries.
By: Gail La Grouw Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Nicola the a fitness and anti-aging editor for www.antiaging-wellness.com. She is a guest golf fitness advisor on www.golfswingclub.com
Healing Elbow Pain
Tennis elbow and Golfer’s elbow are the common names for conditions that involve the elbow. Tennis elbow tends to affect the outer elbow, while golfer’s elbow affects the inner elbow.
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Elbow Pain
If the condition is located on the inside or medial side of the elbow it is often referred as Golfer’s Elbow or medial epicondylitis.
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Rehabilitation - What You Can Expect Epicondylitis, both medial and lateral, is a common and often lingering pathologic condition.
Misuse is a Frequent Cause of Pain in the Arm
Tennis and golfer’s elbow are both due to damage at the insertions of the forearm muscles onto the bone at the elbow.
How to Cure Golfer’s Elbow
I am sure that there are many golfers out there just dying to know how to cure golfer’s elbow.
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March 8, 2009 on 10:28 am | In Causes of Tennis Elbow | No CommentsElbow Pain - A Funny Bone With No Laughing Matter
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.
By: Jeff Foster - Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
For more important information on various health topics such as joint pain, Acid Reflux, Arthritis, and more, visit www.the-health-hub.com
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March 4, 2009 on 10:29 am | In Causes of Tennis Elbow | No CommentsRepetitive Stress Injury - Protecting Yourself & Staying Pain Free
Carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow are all common conditions and from the standpoint of this article fall into a general grouping of injury that has become to be known as RSI (repetitive stress injury or repetitive strain injury).
You’ve probably heard of all of these types of repetitive stress injuries and likely others a
s well. They’re become quite common in today’s vernacular we tend to do the same things repeatedly. It’s not that we didn’t do tasks that required repetitive motion before… we just hadn’t assigned a specific term other than say… tendonitis. Certainly with the onset of the computer and technology age… typing and computer posture injuries have bubbled to the top of the repetitive stress injury list.
But if we’re so vulnerable to repetitive stress injuries because of our choices for work and play, how can protect ourselves against the painful consequences of pushing our joints too far?
By the time you feel the pain, swelling and tenderness that characterize repetitive stress injuries; it’s too late for preventive measures, except as a means of preventing further injury. But if you engage in actions such as computer work or regular tennis play that could lead to a repetitive stress injury, you may want to take note of a few of these suggestions regarding how to prevent repetitive stress injury rather than recover from it.
If you have no choice but to go through the motions that could lead to a repetitive stress injury, make sure that when you’re finished you take it easy, particularly on the area that could be injured. Do something easy that uses a different part of your body or just sit back and relax for awhile.
Look for others ways to do the same tasks to relieve stress on affected areas. For instance, try using your computer mouse with your other hand for a little while to give your dominant hand a break.
If your daily activity requires more strenuous repetitive motion than pushing a mouse around such daily bending and lifting, you are in danger of repetitive stress injuries to your back, along with other, more serious back injuries.
It’s important to know and implement the proper way to lift objects in order to put minimal stress on your back. Bend your knees and do the lifting with your legs, not your lower back muscles.
Your back will thank you.
Marketers are always coming up with new products and gadgets to make life easier. Whenever possible, you should take advantage of them. No matter whether they’re kitchen utensils with larger, easier-to-hold handles to prevent stress on your hands or wheeled carts to help you move items from one area to another, you should be mindful and work to save stress on your back and arms.
After a hard day of work, take the time to engage in some type of relax
ation techniques that will help your body cope and unwind. Deep breathing exercises, meditation, listening to relaxing music or just taking part in a low-impact, fun activity such as going for a twilight walk or sitting on your deck can actually be a very beneficial tool in getting the day’s stress to drain from your muscles and body parts.
This is true particularly if you work at a desk all day. You must take frequent, brief breaks so that you’re not engaged in a repetitive task without pause over prolonged periods of time. Also, you might want to take a look at exercises for your hands, shoulders and back that can strengthen those muscles or at least alleviate some of the stress commonly felt by office workers.
Heed the warning signs when your body is telling you. If you wait to act until after the pain has become chronic, you’ll risk down time and be on a path of a much longer recovery period.
By: Jeff Foster - Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
For more important information on repetitive stress injury be sure to visit www.rsi-aid.com where you will find advice and tips on repetitive stress injury treatment and repetitive strain injury and more on staying pain free
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Nevertheless, factors such as previous trauma, unhealthy lifestyle, and repetitive stress injury influence the time of onset in life.
Watching over your health: Repetitive Strain Injury anyone?
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