Elbow Pain, Wrist Pain and Prolotherapy Links

Elbow Pain and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 
Eighty percent of chronic elbow pain is due to a sprain of the annular ligament, a ligament rarely examined by a family physician or an orthopedic surgeon. Nearly all of our patients with chronic elbow pain tell us their doctors told them they have tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and not a sprain of the annular ligament. The latest treatment for tennis elbow is the dreaded cortisone shots! Cortisone weakens tissue, whereas Prolotherapy strengthens tissue. 

Elbow Ligament Injury
One of the most common sports injuries that is seen at Caring Medical in Oak Park, Illinois is elbow ligament laxity. By laxity, I mean, the ligament is no longer able to stabilize the elbow. The ligament that stabilizes the elbow on the lateral side is the lateral collateral ligament, also known as the radial collateral ligament.

Ulnar Collateral Ligament
The ulnar collateral ligament supports the inside of the elbow and is a reason for most chronic medial elbow pains. the UCL is responsible for holding the ulnar bone to the distal end of the humerus. This enables the arm to flex, pivoting at the elbow. An athlete's complaint of pain on the inside of the elbow will cause the some doctors to examine the lateral epicondyle's "sister," the medial epicondyle. Some doctors will diagnose medial epicondylitis and recommend NSAIDS, or a cortisone shot.

Tennis Elbow, Golfer's Elbow Prolotherapy
The anatomical structures involved in tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) are structures located very close to the skin. Thus, being so close to the skin, traditional treatments such as physical therapy, heat, ultrasound, and massage should very quickly resolve the problems by greatly increasing the metabolic rate in the muscle attachments at these sites. However, because these conditions do not recover quickly, this tells us that the muscles are not the problem, but rather, the underlying ligaments.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
A recent report out of Sweden says that in a study of the general population of that country, 14% of Swedes suffer from chronic wrist pain, and 2% can be diagnosed as having Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Now if those same results hold true in the U.S., then it can be estimated that 5 million people have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and that some 37 million people suffer from chronic wrist pain. Not so fast says the University of Michigan School of Public Health who questioned the study's results. Researchers there say that the Swedish study was using electrical conductivity tests that may have skewed the tests to show higher positive pain results.

The Use of Elbow Braces
To think that putting a band around the elbow could do anything to help a physical condition is ludicrous. Wearing a brace actually has the potential to harm the injured area due to the compression exerted by the brace and by changing the biomechanics of motion from the compressive force.

Wrist Injury and Prolotherapy
The wrist is one of the most complicated areas of the musculoskeletal system. It is comprised of 15 bones, 27 articular surfaces, and an elaborate system of ligaments that maintain these bones and surfaces in proper relation to one another.

Elbow Pain and Prolotherapy
Another common cause of chronic elbow pain is an ulnar collateral ligament sprain. This ligament supports the inside of the elbow. It is responsible for holding the ulnar bone to the distal end of the humerus. In other words it enables the arm to flex, pivoting at the elbow. A patient's complaint of pain on the inside of the elbow will cause a physician to examine the lateral epicondyle's "sister," the medial epicondyle and not look for the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) sprain. For example, the diagnosing of the golfer's elbow is often made without examining the ulnar collateral ligament. 

Tennis Elbow, Golfer's Elbow "Tommy John Surgery"
Some doctors will nearly always give a surgical option for the condition of elbow instability. Typically, the "Tommy John" surgery is offered. This involves taking a tendon from the wrist (palmaris longus tendon) and grafting this on the lateral or medial elbow, depending on which side is unstable.

Annular Ligament, The
The annular ligament wraps around the radial head and attaches to the ulna, which stabilizes the radius bone when a patient does any twisting or rotating movement of the elbow. Any kind of throwing motion, whether in javelin, baseball (especially the curve ball), bowling, or even lesser-known sports like hurling, puts tremendous force on this ligament. The team physician or athletic trainer rarely examines this ligament, so its injury is never diagnosed. The annular ligament is responsible for the majority of lateral elbow pain that continues for more than a couple of months. In our experience, nearly every patient that comes to our office with this condition has been told they have tennis elbow.

Bilateral elbow tendinosis
Cynthia is a 45 year old formerly active woman who came to Caring Medical on April 18, 2006 with complaints of bilateral forearm and elbow pain. The pain in the left elbow was present since July 2004 and in the right elbow since February 2003.