Upper Body Sports Injuries
Back strains
Football, tennis, golf… any sport that involves twisting and turning sharply will put a strain through the back. Normally if you are supple and your joints are mobile this is not a problem. However, our lifestyles cause our mid-backs to become stiff making our low back work harder and therefore more vulnerable to injury. Our objective is to have each joint in your back working through its full range so that loads are spread evenly and minimising the occurrence of a joint or disc strain.
Shoulder pain
Sometimes problems with the neck and back can also cause pain around the shoulder region. When the problem is from the shoulder joint itself you may get irritation of the tendons (impingement syndrome), inflammation of the fluid-filled sac that protects the tendons (bursitis), or when traumatic, a primary tear of the rotator cuff muscles (eg. supraspinatus tear). All of these can cause aches or sharp pains and limit movement. This lack of movement causes tender restrictions within the muscles, which further limits movement and places extra demand on the other shoulder and neck.
By releasing the muscular restrictions and encouraging normal joint motion we can dramatically improve symptoms and allow you to start using your shoulder again.
Tennis & Golfer’s elbow
This is used to describe any pain and tenderness around the outer edges of the elbow joint. It occurs when the muscle insertions at the elbow start to ‘tug’ at the bone leading to inflammation. Some cases resolve with ice and anti-inflammatories, though often they persist due to overuse of the muscles during work and leisure time. Improving the range of movement in the wrist and shoulder, as well as the spine, has a dramatic affect on reducing the tension at the muscle insertion, and allowing the inflammation to resolve. This can help avoid the need for steroid injections.
Wrist strain (tenosynovitis)
Overuse of our forearm muscles causes the tendons (extensions of our muscles which attach to bone) and the sheath which encases them to become inflamed. This may make the gliding movement of the tendon in its sheath difficult. As a sufferer you may experience aching, tenderness and mild swelling of the elbow, wrist, hand or thumb. By improving movement in neighbouring joints the load is shared throughout the arm which will get rid of your symptoms.