Treatment of golfer's elbow
The Response of Modern Medicine
Typical modern medical treatment for elbow pain, especially if it is the result of sports or athletic activities, involves RICE treatment (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). Application of a brace, splint or cast may also be advised. The problem with this treatment approach is that it decreases inflammation (inflammation heals!) at a time when the injured area needs it most, resulting, unfortunately, in decreased healing. In other words, it does nothing to repair the injured or weakened ligaments or tendons usually responsible and, thus, does not alleviate the chronic pain that people with this condition experience.It has been observed that most athletes who excel in their careers have had at least one cortisone shot in their elbows. In fact, steroid injections and anti-inflammatory medications are yet another standard practice of modern medicine for chronic elbow pain. However, in the long run, these treatments do more damage than good. Although cortisone shots and anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to produce short-term pain benefit, both result in long-term loss of function and even more chronic pain by actually inhibiting the healing process of soft tissues. Plus, long-term use of these drugs can lead to other sources of chronic pain, allergies and leaky gut syndrome.
When all else fails, patients with chronic elbow pain may be referred to a surgeon. Unfortunately, surgery often makes the problem worse. And surgeons will use x-ray technology as a diagnostic tool, which does not always properly diagnose the pain source.
The Natural Medicine Approach to Elbow Pain
Prolotherapy treatment of the elbow A better approach is to stimulate ligament and tendon repair with Prolotherapy. Chronic pain is most commonly due either to cartilage deterioration, or to tendon and ligament weakness, as is the case with chronic elbow pain. In fact, the majority of chronic elbow pain is due to a sprain of the annular ligament, although the ulnar collateral ligament, or tendons, as is the case with tennis and golfer’s elbow, may also be involved.The safest and most effective natural medicine treatment for repairing tendon, ligament and cartilage damage is Prolotherapy. In simple terms, Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair painful areas. It does so by inducing a mild inflammatory reaction in the weakened ligaments, tendons and cartilage. Since the body heals by inflammation, Prolotherapy stimulates healing.
Prolotherapy offers the most curative results in treating chronic pain. It effectively eliminates pain because it attacks the source: the fibro-osseous junction, an area rich in sensory nerves. What’s more, the tissue strengthening and pain relief stimulated by Prolotherapy is permanent!
