May, 2008 NEWSLETTER
from: Bio-Magnetic Therapy
Elbow Pain
The ‘ouch’ from overuse
Who would have thought cleaning brush for a new garden bed could be so much work? You must have pulled out 30 wild raspberry bushes --- roots and all. It seemed worth it at the time, but since then you’ve had elbow pain wherever you try to lift something, such as a bag of groceries or even your handbag.
As with any joint, you generally don’t think about your elbow unless it hurts. Elbow pain may come about for any number of reasons. Sometimes it’s related to a particular condition, such as arthritis. However, elbow pain many times can be tracked back to overuse in such a way that causes inflammation. The good news is that with appropriate treatment and some time, you can usually get back to your regular activities.
Inner Workings
The elbow functions as a hinge joint. It’s also structured to allow you to rotate your forearm. Three long bones meet to form the elbow --- the humerus in the upper arm and the ulna and radius bones in the forearm.
Powering the elbow’s movement are biceps and triceps muscles in the upper arm. The biceps muscle allows for bending your forearm upward (flexion). The triceps on the back of the arm helps straighten the arm by extending your forearm.
In the midst of all these muscles and bones are key tendons and ligaments that help hold the joint together. Tendons are fibrous cords that connect muscle to bone. Ligaments are fibrous tissues that connect bone to bone. Helping to reduce friction at the tip of the elbow joint is a fluid filled sac called the olecranon (o-LEH-ruh-non) bursa.
Areas of concern
Elbow pain can vary, depending on which specific area of the joint is involved. These include the:
· Outside elbow area – You don’t have to be on a tennis court to develop the overuse injury called tennis elbow. The medical name is lateral epicondylitis (ep-ih-kon-duh-LI-tis), which means there’s inflammation in the tendons of the forearm muscles where they attach to the bony prominence on the outside of the elbow ( lateral epicondyle).
Tennis elbow comes about due to repeated contraction and overuse of forearm muscles in order to straighten and raise the hand or wrist—such as occurs when playing tennis or a number of other activities, including hammering, painting, raking, operating a chain saw or pulling plants from your garden. Overuse causes inflammation or a series of tiny tears in tendons that attach forearm muscles to bone – specifically, the lateral epicondyle.
As such, you may experience elbow pain when lifting something, making a fist or gripping something, shaking hands, or turning a door knob. Pain may also occur if you extend your forearm or straighten your wrist, or if you touch or bump the outside of your elbow.
· Inside elbow area – On the flip side of tennis elbow is another common elbow overuse injury sometimes referred to as golfer’s elbow or baseball elbow. The medical term “medical epicondylitis” describes the pain and inflammation associated with tendons that attach to the inner side of the elbow.
Medial epicondylitis may crop up after any number of activities where there’s repeated forceful use of the wrist or clenching of the fingers – such as occurs when playing golf or baseball, or with several other activities, including tennis, gardening and yard work.
Pain may come on suddenly or gradually and extend along the inner side of the forearm. Your elbow may feel stiff, and you may experience weakness in your hands and wrist. Certain activities or motions may make the pain worse, such as swinging a golf club or a racket, squeezing or pitching a ball, picking something up with your palm down, or bending your wrist toward your forearm. Shaking hands or turning doorknobs also can be troublesome.
· The elbow tip – The olecranon bursa cushions the elbow’s bony tip. Repetitively bumping the elbow during sports or other activities may aggravate this bursa, causing inflammation (bursitis). Even leaning repeatedly on elbow could result in bursitis at the tip.
You might experience a dull ache or stiffness in the elbow, pain that worsens with movement or pressure, an area that’s swollen or warm to the touch, and possibly skin redness at the tip of your elbow.
Managing the problem
Take a clue from your body – if something you’re doing causes pain in the elbow area, stop the activity. In certain instances, immediate medical care is important, specifically if:
· The elbow is hot, red or inflamed, and a fever is present.
· You can’t bend the elbow.
· The joint looks misshapen or you suspect a broken bone.
· You experience severe pain, especially after injury.
Otherwise, you might find help with simple self-care. Rest your elbow and avoid activities that tend to aggravate the joint. Applying ice periodically can help reduce inflammation, as can taking a nonprescription pain reliever as directed to help ease pain and inflammation. If elbow pain is on going (chronic), you may find that applying heat is helpful as well. Our Elbow Brace on the Support Page of our web site will cut down on the swelling and inflammation and allow your body to heal the elbow.
If self-care steps don’t help, see your doctor. Often, a medical history and physical exam are enough to determine what the problem is. In some cases, an X-ray may be used to rule out another possible cause, such as a fracture or arthritis.
Generally, the sooner a helpful treatment plan is in place, the sooner usual activities can be resumed. And even though it may sometimes take several months to see improvement, conservative treatment for elbow pain is often successful.
In addition to self-care steps, wearing a magnetized forearm strap or a wrist-forearm brace may help elbow pain due to lateral or medial epicondyle. These can reduce the load of everyday movement on the elbow as well as the stress on already-injured tissues in the joint. See the Support Page.
If a favorite sport or regular activity has aggravated your elbow, a therapist can help instruct you on proper form and techniques to stretch and strengthen the muscle areas that support good elbow and wrist motion. Doing so helps to protect the joint's function.
In general, keeping your wrist straight during lifting activities allows the bigger muscles of the upper arm to do more of the work than the smaller forearm muscles. This reduces the force that would otherwise be transmitted to the elbow. It’s also helpful to ice the elbow for 15 to 20 minutes after heavy use. If bursitis is the source of pain, resting and immobilizing the elbow gives the olecranon bursa a break from continued friction. Icing the painful area and taking nonprescription pain relievers as directed can help relieve pain and inflammation. You may find wearing a foam pad on the elbow’s tip offers protection as the swelling goes down. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy or exercises to strength muscles that support the elbow. In some instances, an injection of corticosteroid into the bursa may help and usually brings immediate pain relief.
Intensify Your Exercise
Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day is great exercise. BUT, once you’re fit – and if your doctor says it’s OK – you can reap additional health benefits by trying to do any of the following activities a couple of times a week.
Be careful to increase the intensity of your activity gradually. Adding too much at once can lead to pain, injury and discouragement.
Health Alert!
Plastic Bottles --- DANGER
The small number surrounded by arrows on the bottom of plastic containers is part of a uniform resin code system used by recyclers to identify the type of plastic used to make the item. There are seven types of plastic identified by these codes. However, more than 95% of recyclable plastic containers are marked on the bottom as being made with either a 1 or 2.
Those marked with a 1 or 7 are made with polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) plastics, which is a phthalate. These products also contain the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which has come under scrutiny by scientists concerned about its potential for harm in humans. Those marked with a 2 are made with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic.
Particular concern has been raised about phthalates. These may be added to plastics to make them less brittle and more flexible. How phthalates might affect human health isn’t fully clear. Several studies have looked at developmental and reproductive concerns – such as semen quality, genital development in boys, pregnancy length and timing of breast development in young girls – and any possible association these may have with phthalate exposure.
Studies of bottled water have found that length of storage and exposure to high temperature can increase the levels of phthalates and the chemical antimony that migrate from the plastic container into the water. Concerns that phthalates were used in young children’s toys and in baby bottles resulted in California passing a ban that begins in 2009 on toys and baby products that have more than trace amounts of the chemicals. Other countries, including those in European Union, have taken action to ban certain phthalates from plastic items that might end up in a child’s mouth.
The bottom line? Although debate is ongoing, some experts suggest using plastics with a resin code of 2 to 5. To avoid the issue altogether, you might purchase foods and beverages packaged in something other than plastic – such as glass, aluminum or cardboard. When microwaving, avoid using any type of plastic, since microwaving can degrade the stability of plastics. Instead use microwaveable glass or ceramic cookware.
ANGEL FOOD
Here is a service that I want to share with all of our customers. The service is called Angel Food Ministries www.anglefoodministries.com
Only good in USA.
This service is open to anyone regardless of your income. $30 will get you $60 in food. Check out there menu (that changes each month). and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.
Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.
Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system. They only accept Cash, Money Order, or Food Stamps. The food will be delivered to a church in your immediate area.
We at www.bio-magnetictherapy.com feel
with the rising prices of everything today we can all use some way to save
money, I hope this is of some help to you and your friends. Please copy this and send it to everyone you know,
they can also use the huge savings.
That’s it for another month. Please take care of
yourself, and you loved ones. Your health is our biggest concern.
Gary & Janet