In the third of our Injuries Unpacked series, we’re looking at elbow ligament injury.
The elbow has three main ligaments that help keep it stable during movement. The most common ligament to be injured is the medial collateral ligament that lies on the inside of your elbow.
Elbow ligament injuries can occur due to hyperextension of your elbow after a fall or the application of a strong force causing your lower arm to bend or twist outward. The medial collateral ligament is most commonly damaged through repetitive stress to the inner elbow through movement. This usually occurs in sports involving repetitive throwing or overhead movements such as baseball, volleyball or tennis.
Pain over the particular ligament which is damaged is a common symptom in elbow ligament conditions both during activity and when touched. You may also find it difficult to perform activities where your arm is up over your head and your grip strength may become reduced.
A physio will assess where exactly your pain is and analyse what activities are causing your pain. From a thorough history and physical examination, diagnosis of which ligament is causing your problems will be made. There are several special tests a physio can also perform which will help diagnose your injury.
Usually a period of rest from the aggravating activity and a personalised physiotherapy program will be enough to help improve your symptoms.
If this sounds like something that you may be experiencing, give the clinic a call and we can help you get back on track.
STC has adapted to the COVID-19 crisis:
For those that do not need hands-on treatment or are in the vulnerable person category, we are now offering online physiotherapy and online classes, which are claimable via your health fund rebates.
We are still offering face to face physiotherapy services for those with significant musculoskeletal pain or post-surgical rehabilitation, this may change if the crisis escalates.
We are offering several classes online including Pilates and Mums & Bubs post/antenatal rehabilitation. We’re able to facilitate varied online classes, so if you’re more comfortable with conducting your rehab from home, let us know and we’ll arrange to have you dialled in online to a class.
