Golfers Elbow Surgery

How to prevent sports injuries

Warm up properly for at least 10 minutes before playing sports. Gentle stretching can improve the ability of the muscles to contract and perform, thus reducing the risk of injury. If you are into bodybuilding, alternate exercising different muscle groups. Don't lift too much. Be smart about what you are doing, and use common sense. If it seems too heavy, it is. Cool down after exercise. If you are a runner, you would slow down to a jog, then a slow jog, a walk and then a slow walk to get your heart rate down. Then stretch. If you don't stretch, your muscles will tighten and you will feel sore the next day. Hydration is huge with any activity. You need to replenish your fluids.

Leslie Metzger,

Physical therapist

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Maurizio Cibischino, who practices in East Stroudsburg, offers some advice for adults.

He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, holds a certificate of added qualification in orthopedic sports medicine and is a member of Pocono Medical Center's medical staff.

There are some sports that are dangerous while you are playing them and others that cause problems afterward. The ones that are the most dangerous during play are contact sports. Football is at the top of the list. Others would include the extreme sports and ultimate fighting.

Of the ones that would cause the problems later, football (comes to mind). Often the injuries that come back are the ones that happen to you as a teenager. These often lead to arthritis and other problems down the line. This is not to say that (these sports) shouldn't be played. (Injuries) are part of the risk of playing a sport.

Yes. The best example is that of the multi-purpose stadiums that were built in the 1970s. These were built with the old "Astroturf," a very hard surface. Think of a carpet on concrete. Many of the baseball players who played on those surfaces had knee problems later on in their lives. Another sport with a hard court is basketball. To add to that, basketball is a stop-and-start sport, which is very brutal on the knees.

If someone is rehabilitating from an injury, we frequently start them back on running on softer surfaces such as grass or on a cinder track. The newer artificial surfaces for track and field try to address the hardness problem and their role in the preservation of the lower-extremity health of the athletes.

Exercises for golfers elbow & understanding lateral epicondylitis ...

Tennis elbow injury affects the strong fibrous tendons called the lateral epicondyle tissues located on the outer part of the elbow. These are the tendons that connect the arm muscles to the arm bone and they sustain injuries in the form of tiny micro-tears when the arm is excessively twisted or used in stressful situations especially those that involve repetitive movements of the arm. Tennis elbow often occurs over time and if you are keen enough you should be able to notice the early symptoms of the injury and be able to take action soon enough.

The symptoms The common early symptoms of tennis elbow often go unnoticed or ignored because they are very mild in nature. At first, the elbow will be tender to the tough and the patient may notice some difficulties moving the wrist or the fingers. Others include numbness, soreness and slight pain but all these are replaced by more debilitating symptoms including an excruciating pain, numbness, complete inability to stretch or fold the arm, inflammation and swelling of the arm, the wrist and the fingers. At this point, the patient will most likely be unable to use the arm even in light activities like eating, typing or opening doors.

The Treatment Treating tennis elbow is a challenge to many people, more so because they do not really understand what it is. You would be surprised to know that rest is actually the only treatment for tennis elbow since the injured lateral epicondyle tissues heal on their own though they take some time. This is however applicable only in mild cases and on instructions of a doctor. For more severe injuries, a patient may have to undergo the lateral epicondylitis surgery where the injured tendons are surgically restored especially if the cause of the injury was a severe blow or twist on the elbow.

The healing process may take time but it is very important that the arm is well protected from any movements or activities that may hinder the healing process. The patient may have to wear an arm brace and even an elbow support to avoid any incidences where the injury is aggravated by swinging the arm or accidental use. Depending on the symptoms experienced, the patient may go for anti-inflammation medications and painkillers to make the injury more bearable and to speed up the rate of recovery. Note that mild injuries may take a few days, weeks or even months to heal while those injuries that are severe may take months and even some years before the injured arm can be used normally.

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