Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The Best Tennis Elbow Self Massage Techniques For Treating Yourself At Home


Learn why Advanced Massage Therapy Techniques are the best way to treat your own Tennis Elbow or Golfer's Elbow, and discover the most powerful self-massage methods to use – Straight from an experienced, professional Neuromuscular Massage Therapist, who treats these injuries every day.

Here's the full article about Self Massage for your Tennis Elbow

(Originally published on: https://tenniselbowclassroom.com Read the full article there.)

Tennis Elbow And Trigger Points: Source Or Symptom?

What are Trigger Points? What do they have to do with Tennis Elbow? (If anything...) And should you use Trigger Point Massage Techniques on them if you have Tennis or Golfer's Elbow?

 

Trigger points are said to be highly irritable spots in bands of tight muscle tissue, which are painful when pressed on, and which often refer pain and other sensations in “well-mapped out” predictable patterns that are specific to each muscle and trigger point.

According to this article in MassageMag:

How To Fix Elbow Pain With Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy
“Whether caused by tendonitis or referred pain, golfer’s or tennis elbow stems from trigger points in one or more of the muscles noted...”
I have to begin by saying, I don't think it's quite accurate to say that Tennis or Golfer's Elbow is “caused by Tendonitis or referred pain...”

But rather that Golfer's or Tennis Elbow can either be a “real” tendon dysfunction like Tendonitis...

(Although medical research over the past 30 years tells us that it's much more likely to be Tendinosis than Tendonitis.)

OR it can be Tennis Elbow-like pain that is actually a referred pain pattern caused by Trigger Points elsewhere.

I don't deny the existence of Trigger Points. (I would be surprised to find many Bodyworkers who do!)

But I do regard them as secondary symptoms, as in symptoms that cause other symptoms.

I don't regard them as the primary cause of the dysfunction – Not as the root of the problem.

The article goes on to say that:
“These trigger points must be deactivated to restore the muscles to a pain-free and fully functional condition.”
I know I may be splitting hairs, but the way I see it is the other way around:

Once you release the adhesions in a muscle (and do whatever else may be necessary) and restore it to full function…

THEN the Trigger Points will be deactivated.

In the process of working on a muscle I may occasionally spend some time on a trigger point or two…

(It's often highly instructive to the patient/client to feel their pain pattern magnified – often dramatically – by the pressure on the Trigger Point)...

But I don't “chase them down,” so to speak, as a primary treatment goal.

Lastly is the claim, (still in reference Tennis Elbow) that:
“Fortunately, the muscles are easy to treat...”
Well, I've been specializing in treating Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow for something like 15 years now, and as good as I've become at it, it's still not something I can honestly say is “easy” to treat.

It's not impossible – (Although some people do have very difficult cases) – But if it were that easy it wouldn't be something that people spend over 10 Billion Dollars a year trying to treat.

Here's more on the subject of self massage in my latest full-length post at Tennis Elbow Classroom:

The Best Tennis Elbow Self Massage Techniques

For the origin of the Trigger Point perpective, see:

Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, Vol. 1 - Upper Half of Body

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Podcast: How Is Lateral Epicondylitis Treated In Physical Therapy? (Or Physiotherapy)

Physical Therapy in the Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis


If you have Tennis Elbow and go to see your Doctor for diagnosis and treatment, it's very likely that you'll be given a prescription for Physical Therapy treatments.

But, the question is: How likely are those treatment to help you fully recover?

(Or to at least to put you well on your way to healing and recovery in a reasonable period of time.)

And what if you've already been through a series of visits and it didn't help you – What do you do NOW?

There's no doubt that Physical or 'Physiotherapy' treatments help some Tennis and Golfer's Elbow sufferers recover…

However, in my experience, working directly with hundreds of Golfer's and Tennis Elbow sufferers for about 15 years…

And from what I've gathered from talking with my Tennis Elbow Classroom program members, Physical Therapy also seems to let a lot of people down...

And in many cases, that's after dozens of visits, MONTHS of hard work and precious wasted time and energy – that's gone forever.

NOT to disparage hard-working and well-meaning Physical Therapists.

Tennis Elbow is a stubborn, difficult to treat injury – and my skepticism and criticism has to do with the overall Medical System and how it looks at and treats these kinds of injuries.

And since Physical Therapy is under the umbrella of the Allopathic Medicine and its symptom-obsessed Model, there's quite a lot to criticize. Including how that system, in a way, ties the hands of its practitioners.

So, let's begin with a look at HOW Tennis Elbow is typically treated…

This podcast episode covers:

  • How is Tennis Elbow / Lateral Epicondylitis typically treated in Physical Therapy?
  • What are the techniques or 'Modalities' often used?
  • Is anything missing from this typical treatment protocol?
  • And are there Tennis Elbow rehab exercises you can do at home?

For the full, detailed article please visit:

How Effective Is Physical Therapy For Treating Tennis Elbow?

For the YouTube version of this podcast, visit:

Physical Therapy And Tennis Elbow [VIDEO]

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Here's my latest Tennis Elbow Classroom Podcst episode!

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

How Helpful Is Physiotherapy In Treating Lateral Epicondylitis?

Prevailing Physical Therapy Modalities In Tennis Elbow Treatment

Why clinical Physical Therapy treatments often don't help Tennis Elbow sufferers recover - The typical P.T. 'Modalities' involved, and the key part that's often missing - And how you can do your own rehab more effectively at home!

For a detailed article attempting to answer this difficult question visit:

How Effective Is Physical Therapy For Treating Tennis Elbow?

Originally published on: https://tenniselbowclassroom.com (Read the full article there.)