What is Tennis Elbow and how is it Treated?

Tennis Elbow: What it is and how it is treated in Physical Therapy

When you picture somebody playing tennis, what do you picture? Probably a person with their knees bent, a bounce in their step, and them using one or both arms to grip a racket and swing athletically at the tennis ball. While tennis is a favorite sport of older people or those with bad knees because of the low impact it has on the lower body, tennis is a strenuous workout for the upper body. Unfortunately, many people end up experiencing what is called “tennis elbow”; however, this condition can also be developed by people who don’t play tennis. It is a very painful condition that is common among tennis players. Considering that it’s so painful, how is tennis elbow treated?

We are STAATS Physical Therapy in Brick, NJ and in this article we will discuss how to identify tennis elbow and how it can be treated.

What is Tennis Elbow?

Tennis elbow is a painful condition where the tendons in your arm swell and cause a tremendous amount of pain in your elbow, forearm, and wrist. You can develop tennis elbow from engaging in any activity where you have to grip an object and twist, such as using tools, squash and tennis rackets, paint brushes, or other similar activities.

Once you have tennis elbow, you will be bothered when doing any of those activities, and might feel severe pain in your wrist, forearm, or elbow. You might also be bothered anytime you are gripping something, lifting, typing on the computer, or extending your wrist too far in an upward motion.

Can I Self-Treat My Tennis Elbow?

The answer here is an astounding yes. In many instances of tennis elbow, it will heal itself and get better on its own. If you start to experience it, don’t panic. Just be sure to ice the afflicted area, give it rest, and refrain from engaging in activities that will trigger the pain. If it persists for more than a few weeks, however, and it doesn’t seem to be treating itself, you may have a more severe case that may be more painful and long-lasting. In this case, you will want to work with a physical therapist to treat the issue before it gets worse and to relieve the pain sooner rather than later. 

Can Physical Therapy Help to Treat Tennis Elbow?

The answer here is also an astounding yes. Physical therapy can help with so many bodily pains, aches, injuries, and ailments, and tennis elbow is absolutely treatable in PT. When you work with a physical therapist, they will have a few goals concerning your symptoms:

• Stretching your arm to improve strength and flexibility

• Improving the blood flow to your tendons 

• Relieving the pain that you are currently feeling

• Educating you on ways to rest to treat it day-to-day

• Adjusting your form if your play tennis to reduce pain

PT is all about correcting what happened in the past, treating pain felt in the present, and preventing further injuries from occurring in the future. Working with a physical therapist will give your body the relief and adjustments it needs and will give your mind the knowledge it needs to keep you healthy moving forward. PT is therapeutic, education, and can even be fun with the right attitude.

Find a Physical Therapist for Your Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is a painful condition, but it doesn’t have to last forever. Work with a physical therapist to treat your pain, learn how to avoid getting injured again, and even learn a new method for how you should be gripping and swinging your racket. STAATS Physical Therapy is here to help!

Schedule an appointment with us and one of our helpful representatives will reach out to you.

Do you have questions for us about our physical therapy services before scheduling your first appointment? Our team is always happy to help you out. Please feel free to call us at (732) 920-0880 to ask us your questions or to get started with a physical therapist.

Thanks for reading!

Ideas for a Healthy and Safe Memorial Day

Memorial Day Ideas: Celebrate in a Healthy and Safe Way

Each year on the last Monday of May in the United States is the celebration of Memorial Day. This federal holiday commemorates all of those who have died in our armed forces and is a day to mourn these losses, honor their memory, and celebrate the lives that they lived and the life that their sacrifice has made possible for the rest of us. 

Since Memorial Day is often regarded as the unofficial start of the summer season (although it occurs a few weeks before summer officially begins), the celebrations often include parades, outdoor activities, and warm weather gatherings. We are STAATS Physical Therapy and today we would like to discuss a few ideas for a fun, safe, and healthy Memorial Day! 

Tips for a Healthy Memorial Day

Warm weather. Long weekend. Friends and family. Grills and coolers. Memorial Day weekends are fun, but there can be a lot of unhealthy foods and drinks. Here are a few tips to stay healthy:

• Drink water and stay hydrated throughout the day

• Don’t let yourself get too hungry so you aren’t tempted to binge on unhealthy foods

• Stay as active as you can to burn calories along the way

• Bring healthy food options for the grill or for desert

Tips for a Safe Memorial Day

Unfortunately, with the good often comes the bad. While celebrating life is important, it is also important to remember to do so safely and stay in control. Here are a few tips to stay safe:

• Limit your alcohol consumption so you are always in control of yourself

• Be careful in the water: monitor children and don’t swim at night

• Use sunblock and bug spray to protect your skin outdoors

• Stay focused when operating a boat, ATV, or any other vehicles or equipment

Most importantly, have fun. While your body will thank you for being mindful about staying healthy and safe during the weekend, don’t fixate on it so much that you forget to enjoy yourself.

Schedule a PT Visit before Memorial Day Weekend

If you are a current physical therapy patient, be sure to schedule an appointment with us before the holiday weekend! Physical therapy will help your body to heal and learn new, healthy habits. Going to PT before the holiday weekend will allow your body to be in better shape for all of the outdoor activities or other forms of celebratory fun.

Not a STAATS patient yet? Give us a call at (732) 920-0880 to get started with a physical therapist.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

How Physical Therapy can help with Joint Pain

If You Have Joint Pain, Here’s Why You Need Physical Therapy

There it is again. That pain in your hands, knees, hips, elbows, shoulders, feet, or spine. You have a long day ahead of you and you want to stay busy and be productive, but you’re in so much pain and discomfort that you can hardly get yourself up and out of bed. This is the reality of millions of people who suffer from joint pain. Unfortunately, our body is a machine and just like any other type of machine the mechanisms that make it up can get damaged as they age with time. Fortunately, understanding how your body works and making adjustments to the way we move along with rehabilitation to injured joints can alleviate much of the pain and make life easier to live.

This is where physical therapy comes into play. We are STAATS Physical Therapy and in this article we will discuss the benefits of physical therapy and how it can help to alleviate joint pain. 

Common Causes of Joint Pain

While it is true that as we age so do our joints, but that happens because of different activities that we engage in or events that happen in life. Here are a few of the common causes of joint pain:

• Autoimmune diseases – As we age, we might develop an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, which causes inflammation in the joints that leads to painful swelling

• Strains and Sprains – Accidental strains and sprains in our muscles can lead to inflammation and pain in our joints, especially if it does not heal properly

• Sports Injuries – Whether it’s from stress, an active job, or a sports-related hobby, repeated activities can cause soft tissue injuries overtime that lead to joint pain

• Infections – If you contract a virus you could end up suffering an infection. Many people who contracted COVID-19, for instance, felt flare-ups of old or existing joint injuries.

• Osteoarthritis – According to the CDC, This is the most common form of arthritis and is even referred to as “wear and tear” arthritis because of the effects that it has on the body

While there are other factors that can lead to pain or discomfort in the joints, these are the most common causes of joint pain.

How Physical Therapy Helps

Knowing the common causes is helpful in order to identify the reason behind your joint pain, but knowing more about how it works is crucial.

Teaching You about Joints and Movement

One of the benefits of working with a physical therapist is that they can teach you about joint pain. Understanding how it works can help you to pinpoint the specifics of your issue, which can in turn allow the therapist to provide you with more specific and helpful treatments. Not only can they teach you how it works, but they can teach you more effective ways to move. Proper movement is an imperative part of healing your joints, not only in the moment, but for your long-term health. 

Movement Techniques and Exercises

Physical therapists will also be able to provide manual therapy techniques for your pain. These can include using ice or heat, electrotherapy, and even self-massaging that can help to break up the tissue in your joints that are causing the pain. Physical therapy also includes stretches designed to help with stiffness and range of motion and exercises designed to strengthen the muscles that surround the joint to prevent unnecessary pressure on the joints themselves.

Schedule a PT Appointment to End Your Joint Pain

Now that you know just how beneficial physical therapy can be for joint pain, why suffer any longer or wait to schedule an appointment? Give us a call today at (732) 920-0880 to make your physical therapy appointment with STAATS Physical Therapy.

You can also click here to schedule an appointment callback and someone from the STAATS team will reach out to you as soon as possible to schedule your appointment.

Ride the wave of rehabilitation with us and end your joint pain with physical therapy!

Rotator Cuff Injuries and Physical Therapy

Rotator Cuff Injuries and Physical Therapy

Over time, there are many repetitive movements that our bodies can make that can lead to small injuries such as damage to the rotator cuff. This is actually a very common injury, especially for baseball players. Their continued overhand throwing at high speeds causes damage to their rotator cuff and if not treated, may require surgery. Fortunately, rotator cuff injuries can be treated with physical therapy. With the amount of right time and exercises, your rotator cuff pain can cease to exist.

When it comes to your rotator cuff, there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of things to learn about this part of your body and the injury itself. Read more below to find out what a rotator cuff is and what it means for it to be injured, as well as how physical therapy plays a huge role in recovery.

What is A Rotator Cuff?

A rotator cuff is a group of tendons surrounding the shoulder joint and socket, keeping your shoulder in place and allowing it to move and rotate. Essentially, the clavicle and your humorous meet and are separated by what is called a bursa (tiny, fluid-filled sacs that reduce friction between joints) and are “wrapped,” in tendons. When these tendons become damaged is when you may start to feel what is described as “pain or soreness deep in the shoulder.”

What is a Rotator Cuff Injury?

Essentially, the tendons around your shoulder become inflamed, pinched, or torn, making it hard to sleep or perform simple tasks such as brushing your hair or reaching for items above your head. It’s a very common injury and the risk increases with age. The injury can range in severity, thus ranging in treatment A patient with a rotator cuff injury may simply need physical therapy while others may need steroid injections or surgery that can vary from arthroscopic tendon repair to entire shoulder replacement.

These injuries occur earlier and more often in people who work in jobs that require them to reach overhead a lot. For these people, physical therapy is a great option for healing and pain management.

How Can Physical Therapy Heal a Rotator Cuff Injury

First, it is important to see exactly what the injury to the shoulder looks like. This is achieved by utilizing medical technology such as [x-rays, ultrasounds or MRI][1]. Once diagnosed, your physical therapist can create a therapy plan. While PT can’t necessarily heal torn tendons, it can strengthen the muscles and restore mobility and shoulder mechanics. Stronger muscles around the tendon end up compensating for torn tendons that aren’t as functional. It’s important that your physical therapist is focusing not only on the shoulder but on the scapular muscle as well.

[1]: x-rays, ultrasounds or MRI.

Choosing the Right Physical Therapist

Choosing the right physical therapist is of the utmost importance, as the right plan is what will get your shoulder working properly and pain-free once again.

Here at Staat’s Physical Therapy, you can rest assured that the therapist you’re working with is competent and caring, offering you a well-constructed PT plan to help you start on the road to recovery.

If you’re currently experiencing issues with shoulder pain or any other type of physical pain, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 732 920 0880 or click here to schedule a visit.