Overhand motions that put too much strain on your elbow may cause pitcher’s elbow. This type of injury is most common among ball players. This condition can cause athletes to take a break and, in severe cases, can even end their careers. If you’re suffering from pitcher’s elbow, keep reading to discover why it’s vital to consult with a sports medicine physician.
Appropriate Treatment
A sports medicine physician has in-depth knowledge of sports injuries, including pitcher’s elbow. Bone and joint specialists can devise a therapy plan to restore you to how you were before your injury. Some treatments they might suggest are below.
Ice and Heat Therapy
- Cold Treatment — The use of ice to an injured region decreases blood flow. Cold minimizes swelling and tissue damage by slowing the rate of inflammation.
- Hot Treatment — Applying heat to an injured area dilates blood vessels, promotes blood flow, and soothes aching and stiff muscles.
Physical Therapy
A sports medicine physician can create a customized rehabilitation plan to strengthen your elbow. Physical therapy and rehabilitation can also improve your flexibility and help get you back to the sport you love.
Manual therapy
Using hands-on therapy, your physician will gently move your elbow, shoulder joint, and surrounding muscles to improve motion, flexibility, and strength.
Surgery
If conservative methods don’t work, surgery is an option. Your sports medicine physician can walk you through it and explain the process and recovery thoroughly. They can answer any questions you may have and clear any doubts you might have about the procedure.
Pain Management
Regardless of the intensity and frequency, there’s bound to be some pain accompanying pitcher’s elbow. Your sports medicine physician can teach you how to manage elbow pain. By properly taking care of your injury, you can prevent it from interfering with your daily activities.
There are multiple options to relieve pain, such as joint injections, viscosupplementation, trigger point injections, and medications. Based on your medical profile, injury, and needs, your sports medicine physician can suggest the right kind of pain management for you. Moreover, they can teach you pain management techniques that you can perform on your own.
Improve Mobility
After treating your injury, you might be unable to use your elbow for some time. As a result, your elbow might feel stiff and awkward to move. Your sports medicine physician may compare the joint motion in your injured elbow to your other elbow to determine your appropriate range of motion, and prescribe exercises or therapies to help you return to normal.
Improve Strength
Every injury demands rest and a break from physical activity involving the injured area. Inactivity may cause the muscles around your shoulder and elbow to weaken. It might make it challenging to perform effective throwing or swinging motions due to the imbalance in strength in muscle groups.
A sports medicine physician can assist you in strengthening the muscles around your shoulder, which helps disperse the stress on your elbow. Additionally, developing core strength is critical for proper body mechanics and thus critical for athletic performance.
Injury Prevention
After an injury, the last thing you want is to get another injury or possibly re-injure your elbow. A sports medicine physician can use their extensive knowledge of sports medicine to teach you how to avoid further injuries. Injury prevention techniques may include:
- Balance of rest and activity
- Proper warm-ups and cooldowns
- Good exercise program
- Proper body mechanics
- Healthy diet
Knowing how to care for and use your body correctly reduces the risk of injury. Moreover, a sports medicine physician can teach you how to heal safely and efficiently if you get injured again. Preventive care keeps you strong, healthy, and fit for an active lifestyle.
Improve Performance
Once you’ve improved your strength, mobility, and flexibility and learned how to keep your body in good shape, your performance will undoubtedly improve. With proper body mechanics and abilities, you’ll be able to avoid the damage that poor coordination and improper motions can cause your elbow.
Sports Medicine Physician In North Dakota
Sports-related elbow injuries often sneak up on you. The stress on your elbow might pile up over time as opposed to sudden injuries like a fall or collision. What starts as a minor irritation could turn into a full-blown injury. Your symptoms don’t have to be severe to check in with a sports medicine physician — it’s always easier to treat a minor issue than a severe one.
Our board-certified orthopedic doctors at The Bone & Joint Center are experts in treating all manners of musculoskeletal conditions. Our experts specialize in hand, wrist, and shoulder pain. Our team of compassionate professionals is fully committed and equipped with proper equipment, skills, and experience. We can treat your injury and get you back to the playing field for the sport you love.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, contact our friendly staff at (800) 424-2663 or (701) 946-7400. You can also request an online appointment request form. We look forward to serving you!
