Recently in tennis elbow Category

In part 3 of AnnaMarie's paper on Lateral Epicondylitis she discusses the Traditional Chinese Medicine Understanding of 'tennis elbow' and shows the acupuncture points that are used to treat it.She cites clinical studies on acupuncture treatment of lateral epicondylitis.

AnnaMarie is an acupuncture student at New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Mineola, NY.

"Lateral Epicondylitis is named 'Elbow Strain' in TCM. It is also called zhuo lao, elbow taxation, zhuo tong, elbow pain and shang jin, damaged sinews.

• Overstrain exhausts the Qi and blood, and tendon and muscle are malnourished that causes the lateral epicondylitis
• Overwork taxation causes detriment and damage to the sinews and vessels of the elbow. On the one hand, there is insufficient blood to nourish the sinews, while, on the other hand, there is blood stasis obstructing the free flow of vessels. This may then be complicated by external contraction of wind cold evils due to defensive qi vacuity.

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Major Pattern Differentiation

• Characterized by marked soreness, numbness and heaviness. It is cause chiefly by pathogenic damp. Soreness and fixed pain in the joints, numbness or heavy sensation with possible swelling of the limbs.
• Recurrent or enduring pain which is worse on exertion, worse on exposure to cold, and better on obtaining heat

Treatment Principle

• Sooth the tendon and activate meridian circulation
• Boost Qi and nourish the blood, warm the channels and free the flow of impediment"

To read part 3 of Lateral Epicondylitis or Tennis Elbow click on the link below. 


TCM understanding of tennis elbow.swf

Informative paper on lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, by New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine student Anna Maria DiLisio.

This is part 1, presenting basic bioscience knowledge about lateral epicondylitis.

Symptoms Of Tennis Elbow

• Recurring pain on the outside of the upper forearm just below the bend of the elbow; occasionally, pain radiates down the arm toward the wrist.
• Pain caused by lifting or bending the arm or grasping even light objects such as a coffee cup.
• Difficulty extending the forearm fully (because of inflamed muscles, tendons and ligaments).
• Pain that typically lasts for 6 to 12 weeks; the discomfort can continue for as little as 3 weeks or as long as several year

The damage that tennis elbow incurs consists of tiny tears in a part of the tendon and in muscle coverings. After the initial injury heals, these areas often tear again, which leads to hemorrhaging and the formation of rough, granulated tissue and calcium deposits within the surrounding tissues. Collagen, a protein, leaks out from around the injured areas, causing inflammation. The resulting pressure can cut off the blood flow and pinch the radial nerve, one of the major nerves controlling muscles in the arm and hand.

To see the slide show click on the link below.

tennis_elbow_1.swf

Part 2 explains standard treatments and exercises for tennis elbow.

Exercises & treatments for tennis elbow.swf

The Tennis Times has an article about how tennis injuries can be successfully treated with acupuncture.  The writer quotes famous tennis players' who treated their injuries with acupuncture. "Sania Mirza, who when her right wrist fell apart and she was unable to compete after the Olympics last year (thinking her career might be over) visited an acupuncturist during the fall and amazingly recovered and now says she has her full range back. Another one would be Gael Monfils who used it at last year's US Open to recover after his often exhausting games..."

"The tennis elbow, one of the most common diseases in tennis is probably also one of the easiest to treat with acupuncture and cupping. It shows a success rate of about 90%. Another name for tennis elbow is epicondylitis. It is due to constant over rotation of the wrist and forearm, which of course is why it is called tennis elbow, since this is one of the basic movements in tennis.Acupuncture tennis elbow treatment works effectively in this condition because it works towards improving the blood flow in the area and also the entire body, in an attempt to provide permanent relief from pain and to decrease effectively inflammation."

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