- Tennis elbow: as the name suggests it is common amongst tennis players, however you do not have to play tennis to develop it. By definition tennis elbow is an irritation of the muscles that attach to the outside of your elbow resulting from repetitive stress. The important thing for us to determine is not just which tissues in and around your elbow are painful and irritated, but why your elbow is/was receiving more stress than it could handle. Meaning is there something in your wrist, shoulder, neck, upper back, low back, hip or even knee or ankle that is weak or limited and resulting in altered movement patterns and ultimately your pain and irritated tissues.
- Golfers elbow/ little leaguers elbow: effects the inside of the elbow from repetitive stress on the muscles and ligaments that provide stability against the inside of the joint spreading apart too much. The important thing for us to determine is not just which tissues in and around your elbow are painful and irritated, but why your elbow is/was receiving more stress than it could handle. Meaning is there something in your wrist, shoulder, neck, upper back, low back, hip or even knee or ankle that is weak or limited and resulting in altered movement patterns and ultimately your pain and irritated tissues.
- T4 syndrome: First, T4 is the 4th vertebrae down in your upper back, pretty much in the middle of your shoulder blades. So what in the world does this area that is so far away from your elbow have to do with it hurting? The simplified answer is your nervous system, which interacts at this level and then goes out into your arms. When there is a restriction in this area it can refer pain to the elbow, sometimes both of them at the same time, and mimic tennis elbow. A thorough evaluation of your joint mobility throughout your neck, upper back and ribs will reveal if this T4 area is contributing to your elbow pain. If so, joint manipulation is very effective at restoring the mobility and helping to reset the nervous system activity.
