Injury blog: Student’s elbow

G’day readers, it’s blog o’clock! This month's blog is about a common elbow injury. Ever heard of student’s elbow? “But I’m not a student!” we hear you say. Well you don’t have to be to fall victim to this condition. Students elbow, or ‘Olecranon Bursitis’ is a condition where a small sack of tissue over the tip of your elbow becomes inflamed and swollen. The pointy bit of bone at the end of your elbow is called the ‘olecranon’ and the small sack which sits between the bone and the skin is called a ‘bursa’. The ‘itis’ part of bursitis simply refers to inflammation of that bursa.

What are the causes?

The most common way to develop student’s elbow is repetitive trauma to the tip of the elbow which slowly irritates the bursa and causes inflammation over time. Think of a student who sits for hours, day after day writing at a desk with their elbow resting on the table. The constant pressure on the tip of the elbow could be enough to kick things off. Anyone whose elbows are subject to repetitive pressure could develop this problem; plumbers and office workers are other good examples.

Other causes include:

•           A single blunt force trauma or fall onto the tip of the elbow

•           Infection

•           Having an olecranon spur (an extra small bony growth which rubs against the bursa)

•           Having an extra pointy olecranon (some peoples skeletons are just a bit different)

This condition may also develop as part of having another medical condition, such as Diabetes Mellitus, Gout, Rheumatoid Arthritis, HIV or alcoholism.

Signs and symptoms

So, what does student’s elbow look like? Signs and symptoms include:

•           A painful or (often) non-painful swelling on the end of your elbow

•           Pain with leaning on your elbow

•           Painful elbow movement

•           Restricted elbow movement (although this is often unaffected)

•           Redness, warmth and a fever (if associated with infection)

Will I need to have any tests done?

Possibly. As with all lumps on the body, your practitioner will want to rule out anything serious going on first. We ask lots of questions so we can paint a picture of what’s going on in our clinical head. Depending on your signs and symptoms, if you have a history of cancer or if infection is suspected, you may be directed to your GP for tests. This is to make sure you are receiving the best treatment in the best time frame. Your doctor may need to take a sample of the fluid inside the swelling to be sent off for lab testing. This will be able to tell us if infection is playing a part or not.

Treatment

The treatment of bursitis is very much dependent on the cause. If the cause is infection, then your GP will start you on a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to fight it off and control the pain. Other treatment may include the use of ice or contrasting hot/cold bathing to help reduce the swelling. In severe cases, your elbow may need to be splinted or elevated in a sling. Elbow pads and changes to your general activities may also help to protect the elbow from further injury. Your GP may offer to drain the swelling (this is called ‘aspiration’ and requires a needle to remove the fluid), and this can help to provide relief by reducing pressure around the elbow.

Once clear of infection, or if you have a non-infective bursitis, then your superhero osteo can step in and work their magic. Abracadabra!

During the inflammatory process, swelling and pain may have affected how you use your arm. With pain, people often stop using that part of the body and swelling can affect the joint's ability to move smoothly through its range of motion. This can have a knock-on effect on the muscles and other tissues which surround the elbow joint. Many muscles which cross the elbow and are involved in elbow movement also cross the shoulder and wrist to aid in their function. So, you can see how a problem at the elbow could affect the whole limb (and beyond).

Here at Holistic Hands Osteopathy we will get to work at restoring full function to the shoulder, elbow and wrist. We will look at your spinal movements too to see if they have been affected. You can expect to be mobilised and massaged and we may also perform some lymphatic drainage techniques to help restore fluid movement through the limb (which may have stagnated during the injury process). Your biceps, triceps and other arm/forearm muscles may have shortened over time so we may perform some stretching techniques and will give you some exercises to do at home to back up what they do in the clinic room. If necessary, strengthening exercises may be given to reduce the risk of future episodes.

If your bursitis doesn’t resolve with the above treatments or keeps coming back, a decision may need to be made on whether the bursa should be removed surgically. This is called a ‘bursectomy’ and is usually a last resort. Extra pointy olecranons or spurs can also be treated surgically if needed.

Back to school… And work!

Now that the festive season is over, the kids will be back to school and the parents back to work. Normality resumes. Keep an eye on those elbows people! If you think you are developing an elbow problem (or any body part for that matter) then please call us on 0439379847 and we’ll get working on it straight away.

The most common headache

Did you know it is estimated that 50% of the global adult population have experienced a headache within the last year alone - that’s over 3.5 billion people! Unfortunately, there are too many types of headache to be able to cover them all in one blog, unless you fancy reading through about 50 pages of text… Yeah we thought not! We figured a good place to start would be the headache that is most commonly experienced throughout the general population. We introduce you to the ‘Tension-Type Headache’ (or TTH).

WHO DOES IT AFFECT?

It is estimated that around 7 million Australians experience TTH, affecting approximately 42% of women and 36% of men. A person will commonly begin to experience them during teenage years and may experience a peak in headaches around their 40’s, as headaches begin to tail-off after this period in life. People who experience TTH on less than 15 days per month are classified as having ‘Episodic TTH’. Those experiencing them for more than 15 days per month are classified as having ‘Chronic TTH’.

KNOWING YOUR HEADACHE

Different types of headache come with different signs and symptoms. For TTH, there are some common things to look out for. These include:

 

•   A tight band or ‘vice-like’ sensation of mild to moderate pain around the head

•   Pain across both sides of the head

•   Constant pain that may last anywhere from 30 minutes to several days

•   Scalp, neck and shoulder tenderness accompanying your headache

•   Difficulty concentrating or sleeping

•   Restricted neck movements

•   Depression and/or anxiety

Symptoms of TTH and migraine (another type of headache) may overlap slightly, but TTH are not usually described as throbbing, one-sided, or accompanied by visual disturbances, light sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, or worsening with activity; whereas migraines regularly are.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?

Despite the name, TTH are not always caused by tension or stress in a person’s life. TTH may be triggered by many things, including:

•   Excessive frowning

•   Teeth grinding or jaw-clenching (called ‘bruxism’)

•   Postural strain from work or driving

•   Exposure to bright lights or loud noise

•   Prolonged reading

•   Stress, anxiety and depression

•   Excessive tiredness or fatigue

•   Medication overuse

This last one is of particular importance, as the overuse of painkillers to treat TTH can ignite the onset of another type of headache known as ‘Chronic Daily Headaches’. These headaches are usually unaffected by pain medication and the person may also begin to experience migraines. Symptoms tend to be more severe than your average TTH.

CAN THEY BE TREATED?

Fortunately, there is a lot of help out there for such headaches. Usually the best course of action is to remove the trigger for your headache. This can be sometimes hard to work out, and we can help you identify what might be the root cause of your headaches. Your therapist can help to resolve those tight and sore muscles around the head, neck and shoulders by performing soft tissue massage, joint mobilisation and possibly manipulation techniques. They will also look at your posture when standing, sitting and lying down to try and highlight areas for improvement.

Other forms of treatment may include:

•   A visit to the dentist if you grind or clench excessively

•   Relaxation, breathing and stress-relieving techniques

•   Improving sleep patterns and cycles

•   Psychological therapy which may or may not include anti-depressant/anxiety medication

•   A visit to your GP to discuss medication use, if the cause of your headache has been highlighted as potentially relating to the amount of medication you are taking – remember those chronic daily headaches we mentioned earlier?

So, please do not suffer headaches in silence. Speak out (it’s good to talk after all) and book an appointment with your friendly Osteo to start your journey to beating headaches. You’ll feel the tension just melting away!

Five immune-boosting tips

Winter is coming…

It’s that time of the year where you start to notice people sniffling, sneezing, coughing and blowing their noses. The colder weather always seems to bring with it an influx of cold and flu outbreaks doesn’t it?! Well the main reason for this is because your immune system isn’t quite firing on all cylinders, which means (particularly for the elderly and the very young) it cannot keep the nasties at bay like it could if it was fighting fit! We’ve outlined five things you can start to incorporate in your daily life to help get your immune system strong, so you can avoid time lost running around with the grandkids, playing for your team, or going to work… Yes you DO love to work!

1. EAT PLENTY OF NUTRIENT RICH FOODS:

It seems an obvious statement, but it really is that simple. Fill out your diet with foods rich in antioxidants (specifically those rich in vitamins A, C and E, and the minerals zinc and selenium). They help your body fight off those cell damaging ‘free radicals’ that naturally occur in the body as a result of the body using oxygen to function. Examples of antioxidant rich foods include fruit and vegetables (such as carrots, citrus fruits, capsicum, broccoli), almonds and brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, meat, shellfish and legumes.

2. GO GREEN:

No, we aren’t talking politics, we are referring to your choice of tea (a much less stressful choice don’t you think?!). Green tea is packed full of antioxidants called ‘catechins’ which have been shown to improve immune function. Green tea is steamed rather than fermented (like black tea) and so retains a higher antioxidant content than its black sibling. Green all the way!

3. EXERCISE REGULARLY:

It has been shown that regular, moderate-intensity exercise can help to strengthen your immune system by improving circulation of immune cells, allowing them to work more efficiently. But, too much high intensity exercise can have the opposite effect. So we suggest regularly going for a jog, swim, or gym session (whatever you love doing), but everything in moderation!

4. SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP:

It has happened to all of us. Early mornings, late nights, chaotic lifestyles, not enough hours in the day! The daily grind continues and then BOOM - you’re hit with a terrible cold. Your body needs sleep to recover, repair and strengthen. If you aren’t getting enough sleep on a regular basis, your immune system may weaken, leaving you unable to fight off those horrible germs. Aim for at least 7-9 hours of good sleep, every night.

5. ALWAYS FIND TIME TO LAUGH:

When you laugh, your ‘happy’ hormones are released and you ultimately feel good, providing a great way to escape daily stress. Prolonged stress can lead to your immune system becoming depressed and weakened, leaving you open to an array of health issues. We recommend at least 1000 laughs a day… Yeah OK we’re joking, but how about regularly taking in a comedy show? Or find other ways to de-stress, such as meditation, yoga and practicing mindfulness.

We hope we’ve helped you to see how important it is to have a high-flying immune system. Keep it strong and there’ll be nothing stopping you from leading an active, fulfilling life. Whatever your goal is, being able to look after the grandkids every week, or playing 80 minutes on the footy pitch, your Osteo will be able to advise you on ways to stay healthy, whatever the issue!