Have you had pain on the inside or outside of your elbow? Have you been told it’s the classic “tennis elbow” or “golfer’s elbow”? Lateral and Medial epicondylitis is often referred to as tennis and golfer’s elbows respectively but let’s delve a little deeper and have a look at both conditions and how they come about.

Getting to know the elbow joint.

The elbow is made up of three bones; the humerus, radius and ulna but it isn’t as simple as it seems. The joint itself is actually made up of three different joints.

There’s the humero-ulna joint which is the hinge joint. This allows us to flex and extend our arm.

The humero-radial joint which is a combination of a hinge and pivot joint. This allows for flexion and extension of our forearm but also allows us to turn our hand over.

And finally, there’s the radio-ulna joint which is a pivot and is vital in our ability to turn our hand over (supination and pronation).

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Did you know?

There are 16 muscles in total that cross over the elbow joint. 4 muscles attach onto the lateral epicondyle and 4 onto the medial epicondyle. These are the muscles that generally cause epicondylitis.

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How does pain typically present?

Typically, the pain is at or near the attachment site of these muscles. Lateral epicondylitis is also known as “Tennis elbow”. It affects the extensor muscle of the forearm and the outside of the joint. Medial epicondylitis is known as “Golfers elbow”. It affects the flexor muscles of the forearm and the inside of the joint. Often these conditions can happen even without doing these sports!

Pain can also radiate down the arm along the line of the muscles to the wrist. There may also be weakness in grip strength and difficulty holding objects.

Both conditions are likely to be caused by repetitive use/overuse such as computer use, incorrect loading of the muscles such as heavy lifting. Overuse or incorrect loading causes the muscles to get tight. The tight muscles then pull on their attachment sites. With the muscle bellies being high up in the forearm they tend to pull at the tendon on the elbow.

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Did you know?

There is a muscle in the forearm that not everybody has! 14% of the population doesn’t have the Palmaris Longus muscle. You can also have it on one forearm but not the other! You can check whether or not you have it by touching your little finger and thumb together and slightly flexing your wrist. If you do have a Palmaris Longus the tendon will pop up in the middle of your wrist.

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Treatment:

• Rest and activity modification i.e. limiting the use of the affected area.
• Reduce load through the area i.e. lower the weight you’re carrying or trying to lift.
• An elbow brace/strap can help take the pressure and pull off the muscle attachment site.
• In severe cases a steroid or cortisone injection may be an option.

Once your pain is manageable and you are able to comfortably move your wrist and elbow without too much pain you can begin to include a few gentle stretches. Once these are comfortable you can add in some light strengthening exercises.

At home exercises to help with elbow pain:

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Stretching for elbow pain

To help with pain on the outside of your elbow:

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And for pain on the inside of your elbow:

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Strengthening for elbow pain

Tendons repair well under load. Managing this load appropriately is best done under the care of a professional however there are a few basic strengthening exercises. They should not cause you pain so if they do, stop. Begin with moving slowly through the movement, as your pain decreases and strength increases you can move more quickly or add more weight.

Try this for general strengthening through the area:

• Place an elastic band around outside of the fingers and thumb.
• Spread your fingers and thumb out against the resistance of the band.

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This one is great for pain on the outside of your elbow:

• Elbow bent and forearm resting on a surface so your hand is off the edge.
• Place chosen weight in hand.
• Palm facing down.
• Raise the weight so that the wrist bends up.
• Keep your forearm in contact with the surface.

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If you struggle with the above exercise this one is also good for pain on the outside of your elbow:

• Elbow bent and forearm resting on a surface so your hand is off the edge.
• Place chosen weight in hand.
• Thumb facing toward the ceiling.
• Raise the weight so that the wrist bends up.
• Keep your forearm in contact with the surface.

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And this one works well pain on the inside of your elbow:.

• Elbow bent and forearm resting on a surface so your hand is off the edge.
• Place chosen weight in hand.
• Palm facing down.
• Raise the weight so that the wrist bends up.
• Keep your forearm in contact with the surface.

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Come in and see one of our brilliant Myotherapists and they will endeavour to help your elbow pain.

Click here to book an appointment.

Post written by Laura York (Myotherapist)

“What is cupping?” This is a question I receive almost daily. Most patients have some idea, as we have all seen footy players or people at the beach with these round marks on the body and we all know that this person has received a cupping treatment.

But what does cupping actually do? How does it work? What are the benefits? How does it feel? These are the questions that I would like to answer for you all.

Let’s start at the beginning, what is cupping?

Cuppings origins however are ancient. It’s believed to have begun in China but has been traced to Egyptian and Middle Eastern culture. It has described in ancient medical text Ebers Papyrus and may have been used as early as 1550 B.C. 

Myotherapy cupping is a Western myofascial therapy. It provides a sustained and controlled stretch to the skin, superficial fascia, the muscle, and even the deep fascia. It is a relatively low risk high reward treatment; it can create dramatic change in the resting state of the tissue.   

Benefits of cupping

Cupping has a powerful effect on hydration to the tissues, improving the nutrient supply and decreasing acidity. Tissue acidity often leading to pain. Cupping increases the blood flow which can have an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effect and anti-nociceptive effect in the local tissue which can further decrease pain. 

How does it work?

There are various ways a therapist may use the cups on your body.

The therapist may also slide the cups over the skin. This helps to work the fascia underneath. Your therapist may also passively move an associated limb while the cups are in place. We even have the patients actively moving, all with the cups in place. These are more often referred to as functional cupping manoeuvre.

Cups often don’t need to be applied for very long to have dramatic effect. 5-15mins at most, so often it is just one element to your Myotherapy treatment.

Does it hurt?

Ultimately no but pain is very personal. Majority of people feel a little bit of discomfort when the cups are first applied sort of like a pull or pinch. After a few minutes most people will tend to forget that the cups are even there. Your therapist will always listen to you and your boundaries and if the cups are too uncomfortable the suction can easily be lessened, or simply removed.

What is the difference between glass and plastic cups?

In Myotherapy we generally use plastic vacuum cupping. Plastic cupping uses a handheld pump which will draw air out of the cup creating a strong pull. It is quick and easy and very effective to work on the body. Glass cups also create the same suction, they require a live flame from either a candle or methylated spirits to burn away the oxygen creating a negative pressure vacuum seal which draws the tissue up into the cup.

Because glass cups require live flame it can take little longer to apply. There are added benefits to glass such as the heat from the flame can warm the glass assisting the treatment. Generally, you will see a practitioner using glass cups within a Chinese Medicine treatment as with our lovely Lea here in the clinic. Whether your therapist uses glass or plastic or both in their clinic rest assured you will have a great treatment! 

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Myotherapy cupping is a fantastic therapeutic modality that has amazing health benefits. If you have any more questions or would like to give it a try talk to our receptionist about booking a Myotherapy treatment today!

Written by Jodie Lasker (Myotherapist)

If you’re a smoker or a vaper who wishes you could stop or believes you can’t quit because you have an ‘addictive personality,’ there’s good news: you can stop. Clinical Hypnotherapist Steve Carey has helped hundreds of smokers quit and quit permanently through Hypnotherapy.

Smoking has been in the news a lot recently, with action promised by the Federal government to make smoking and vaping even more expensive and even less accessible. So, if you’ve been currently getting your tobacco or vapes quite cheap up until now, it’s likely to get a lot more difficult.

Here’s what the Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has to say: “Australia has been a leader in public health measures to discourage smoking,” says the Health Minister Mark Butler, “but after a decade of inaction, the gains of Labor’s world leading plain packaging laws have been squandered.” And he is introducing legislation to make things more difficult for smokers and vapers and those who sell supplies.

This may cause a lot of stress, especially if you’ve tried quitting in the past and it hasn’t worked out so far.

If it’s because you don’t believe you can quit permanently, then you probably haven’t tried Clinical Hypnotherapy, which is a fast, safe and effective way to quit permanently. 

But what is Hypnotherapy and how does it work? 

In short, Hypnotherapy is a guided therapeutic practice that encourages heightened focus and concentration, people will often feel more calm and relaxed in a hypnotic state and therefore more open to suggestions, typically related to behavioural changes or habits.

To get a better understanding of Clinical Hypnosis, you can watch this short video from a recent client, Marcel:

Or listen to this short audio from Roslynne:

You can also book in for a free, no commitment 15-minute phone consultation with Steve, so you can see whether Clinical Hypnotherapy would be appropriate for you and find out more about how it works.

You can book through our website or give us a call on 9603 0334.