The Growing Trend of Pediatric Chiropractic Care: Embracing Holistic Health for Children
In the fast-paced world of tennis, players often put a lot of strain on their elbows with powerful serves and quick volleys.
Although tennis requires agility and endurance, constant pressure on the arm can lead to a common and bothersome issue called tennis elbow.
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, causes pain and inflammation on the outer part of the elbow. Despite its name, you don't have to play tennis to get it—it can also come from activities like gardening, painting, or repetitive computer use. Typical treatments like rest, ice, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory drugs might offer some relief, but they don't always fix the root cause. Lately, many people have turned to alternative treatments like upper cervical chiropractic care to manage tennis elbow more effectively. This article looks at what causes tennis elbow and how upper cervical chiropractic care provides a natural and holistic way to treat it.
What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow happens when the tendons in your forearm get hurt or inflamed from doing the same movements over and over. Activities like gripping, lifting, and swinging can cause tiny tears in the tendons, leading to pain, stiffness, and weakness in your elbow and forearm. Even though it's called tennis elbow, you don't have to play tennis to get it—any repetitive arm movements can cause this condition. If left untreated, tennis elbow can result in ongoing pain and make it hard to do everyday tasks or participate in sports and work activities.
How Does Upper Cervical Chiropractic Help?
Upper cervical chiropractic care can help treat tennis elbow by fixing problems in the upper part of the spine. When the top vertebrae in the neck, known as the atlas (C1) and axis (C2), are out of alignment, they can press on nerves and cause issues throughout the body, including the arms and shoulders. This misalignment can disrupt nerve signals, reduce blood flow, and create tension and inflammation in the muscles and tendons around the elbow. By gently adjusting the spine, an upper cervical chiropractor can relieve pressure on the nerves, improve nerve function, and help the body heal naturally, reducing pain in the elbow.
In upper cervical chiropractic, there's no popping, cracking, or twisting of the neck. This technique is gentle and precise, focusing on the top two bones of the spine, the atlas (C1) and axis (C2). The adjustments are done using light pressure or a gentle instrument to correct misalignments. This approach is well-suited for patients of all ages so they don't need to worry about any discomfort associated with traditional chiropractic adjustments. It's safe, effective, and designed to restore proper alignment without forceful manipulation.
How Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care Can Help with Tennis Elbow
- Realigning the Spine
Upper cervical chiropractic care focuses on adjusting the top two vertebrae in your neck (called the atlas and axis). When these vertebrae are properly aligned, it takes pressure off your nerves, which can help improve nerve function in your arm, easing the pain from tennis elbow.
- Boosting Blood Flow
When your spine is correctly aligned, blood flows better to your elbow. This helps reduce swelling and promotes healing of the tendons and muscles around your elbow joint.
- Fixing Imbalances
Upper cervical chiropractors look at your whole body to find any imbalances that might be causing your tennis elbow, such as problems with your shoulder or posture. By fixing these, they can help prevent your elbow pain from coming back.
- A Complete Plan
Besides spinal adjustments, upper cervical chiropractors might suggest other treatments like soft tissue massage, exercises to strengthen your muscles, and changes to your daily habits to help you heal and stay healthy.
Takeaway
Tennis elbow can make it hard to do everyday tasks and enjoy hobbies. Regular treatments might help for a while but often don't fix the root cause of the problem. Upper cervical chiropractic care offers a natural way to treat tennis elbow by fixing misalignments in the spine and improving nerve and muscle function. This approach helps your body heal itself, leading to long-term relief and better use of your arm. If you have tennis elbow, consider seeing an upper cervical chiropractor to explore natural treatment options designed for you.
Disclaimer:
Dr. Berner does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical diseases or conditions; instead, he analyzes and corrects the structure of his patients with Foundational Corrections to improve their overall quality of life. He works with their physicians, who regulate their medications. This blog post is not designed to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any other individual. The information provided in this post or through linkages to other sites is not a substitute for medical or professional care. You should not use the information in place of a visit, consultation, or the advice of your physician or another healthcare provider. Foundation Chiropractic and Dr. Brett Berner are not liable or responsible for any advice, the course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or products you obtain through this article or others.
