Elbow Pain Treatment Tips
by Julia Gregory
Elbow pain can be a disruptive problem to experience as it can drastically limit your mobility and cause discomfort. Becoming informed about this potential orthopedic issue can help you to reduce your chances of developing elbow problems and assist with correcting them when they develop.
Stretch To Reduce The Risk Of Developing Of Elbow Pain
It is common for elbow injuries to occur when exercising or lifting heavy items. To reduce this risk, you should always spend a few moments stretching your elbows before you begin. This simple step can help to get your muscles and tendons in the elbow loose so that the risk of pulling or tearing something will be drastically reduced. As an added benefit, many elbow stretches will also help to loosen the shoulders, which can be another joint that will be easily injured during these activities.
Use Ice To Reduce The Elbow's Inflammation
If you are starting to experience considerable elbow pain, the use of ice may be able to significantly reduce the discomfort that you are experiencing. This is due to the ability of the ice to help lessen the inflammation that is occurring. In addition to providing relief from the discomfort that you are experiencing, this can also have the added benefit of reducing the chances of the swelling causing further damage to the joint. When applying ice to the elbow, you may find it difficult to keep the ice in place for long. Using a thin cloth covering to wrap around the ice bag can often make it easier to hold it against the skin. When using this cloth, you will want to keep it as thin as possible so that the cold from the ice can be transferred to the skin.
Have Persistent Elbow Pain Treated By A Professional
Unfortunately, you may find that your elbow pain is persistent or chronic. This can indicate that the elbow may have suffered damage that is severe enough to require professional treatment. Delaying seeking this treatment can allow the injury to worsen, which may significantly increase the length of recovery as well as the types of treatments that will need to be administered. Patients may avoid seeking this care due to thinking that it will always involve surgery. Yet, it is often possible to avoid surgical treatments when treatments for the elbow injury are started as soon as possible. This could include using a sling while the elbow recovers, the use of ointments or even anti-inflammatory medications.
Make an appointment with a medical professional if you have elbow pain.
Share
About Me
The decision to move one of my parents into assisted living was one of the most difficult I have ever made. I had extreme feelings of guilt that led to me being at the facility with my parent practically around the clock. It took a few months before I realized that I could not let my own life fall apart from the guilt I was feeling. I also learned that my parent was fine without me constantly hovering around. Since that time, I have had several friends express similar feelings of guilt. I started this blog to help others in the same situation understand not only their feelings about assisted living, but those of their parents.