Its that time of year to be out working on the garden and the yard. So much beauty and anticipation of growing your own food is exciting for us all. Unfortunately, as a result, I’ve been seeing more patients with elbow pain. This happens for a few reasons one of which is we go from not doing as much yard work in the winter time to lots of it in a short period of time. Some care should be taken to prepare for the season and even during some precautions can be taken.
There are generally two reasons why patients get elbow pain, tightness and weakness of the forearm muscles. Some preventative stretching is always a good idea and simply bringing your palm towards your forearm with some gentle over pressure from your opposite hand is a great place to start. Using some small/light weight in your hand and strengthening the muscles by raising the weight and the back of your hand towards the ceiling will help build up some strength. Often times people don’t do much for prevention until there is a noticeable problem and ice can be used to keep the inflammation and pain down.
Ideally I encourage patients to be proactive and prepare their bodies to avoid problems or pain but sometimes seeing a licensed professional is required. My advice is the sooner you seek treatment usually the quicker your pain/problem can be resolved. The results are much different for individuals who report their pain started a few weeks ago compared to the individual who says it started a few years ago. So if you’re experiencing even the smallest amount of pain from your favorite activity act now and get back to enjoying the fruits of your labor!
For more information you may call 541-479-6936 with any questions. We regularly offer free screening to the community for those who do not have insurance or those who have high deductible payments.
Jesse Elliott, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy with SiskiyouPT Grants Pass, Oregon
