Non-surgical Rehabilitation
The key to nonsurgical treatment is to keep the collagen in your tendon from breaking down further. Our goal is to help the tendon heal.
When you begin your Physical Therapy program at STAR Physical Therapy, our Physical Therapist will give you tips on how to rest your elbow and how to do your activities without putting extra strain on your elbow. We may apply tape to take some of the load off the elbow muscles and tendons. Our Physical Therapist may advise the use of an elbow strap that wraps around the upper forearm in a way that relieves the pressure on the tendon attachment.
Your Physical Therapist in Fairport and Rochester may apply ice and electrical stimulation to ease pain and improve healing of the collagen. Our Physical Therapy sessions may also include iontophoresis, which uses a mild electrical current to push anti-inflammatory medicine, prescribed by your doctor, into the sore area. This treatment is especially helpful for patients who can't tolerate injections. Exercises are used to gradually stretch and strengthen the forearm muscles.
Because tendonosis is often linked to overuse, our therapist will work with you to reduce repeated strains during activity. When symptoms are from a particular sport or work activity, we will observe your style and motion with the activity. Our Physical Therapist may suggest ways to protect the elbow during your activities. We can also check your sports equipment and work tools and recommend ways to alter them to keep your elbow safe.
Although the time required for rehabilitation is different for each patient, in cases where the tendon is inflamed, nonsurgical treatment is usually only needed for four to six weeks. When symptoms are from tendonosis, you can expect healing to take longer, usually up to three months. If the tendonosis is chronic and severe, complete healing can take up to six months.
Post-surgical Rehabilitation
Recovery from surgery takes longer. Immediately after surgery, your elbow is placed in a removable splint that keeps your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.
When you begin your Physical Therapy program, ice and electrical stimulation treatments may be used during your first few therapy sessions to help control pain and swelling from the surgery. Our Physical Therapist may also use massage and other types of hands-on treatments to ease muscle spasm and pain.
We will gradually have you work into more active stretching and strengthening exercises. You just need to be careful to avoid doing too much, too quickly. We typically begin patients on active therapy about two weeks after surgery. Our Physical Therapist may begin with light isometric strengthening exercises. These exercises work the muscles of the forearm without straining the healing tissues. You will also begin to use your own muscle power in active range-of-motion exercises.
At about six weeks, our Physical Therapist may have you start doing more active strengthening. As you progress, we will give you exercises to help strengthen and stabilize the muscles and joints of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder. You'll also do exercises to improve fine motor control and dexterity of the hand. Some of the exercises you'll do are designed to work your hand and elbow in ways that are similar to your work tasks and sport activities. Our Physical Therapist will help you find ways to do your tasks that don't put too much stress on your elbow.
Although the amount of time required for recovery varies among patients, you may need Physical Therapy for two to three months. It may take four to six months to get back to high-level sports and work activities. Before your Physical Therapy sessions end, our Physical Therapist will teach you a number of ways to avoid future problems.
STAR Physical Therapy provides services for Physical Therapy in Fairport and Rochester.
In some cases, the symptoms of golfer's elbow are due to inflammation. In an acute injury, the body undergoes an inflammatory response. Special inflammatory cells make their way to the injured tissues to help them heal. Conditions that involve inflammation are indicated by -itis on the end of the word. For example, inflammation in a tendon is called tendonitis. Inflammation around the medial epicondyle is called medial epicondylitis.
