​Arm elbow pain and can't be straightened

If you experience elbow pain and cannot straighten your arm, it is most likely tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis. This type of disease often occurs in athletes, mostly those who often swing the racket. Frequent swinging of the racket can easily lead to elbow pain and inability to straighten the arm. It is recommended that you go to the hospital in time to take an X-ray and confirm the diagnosis.

1. Vulnerable groups

Tennis elbow is not only caused by people who play tennis. Badminton, table tennis, and even jobs that involve a lot of elbow activity, such as hairdressing, repairing machinery, operating computers, washing clothes, cooking, etc. can all induce tennis elbow. Due to long-term strain, some tendons and soft tissues attached to the lateral epicondyle of the humerus can suffer partial fiber tearing or damage, causing the disease. People who do not move their elbows much can also develop the disease due to local damage or cold. Middle-aged and elderly people cannot recover quickly after injury due to tendon fiber degeneration and aging, which also leads to a higher incidence rate. Therefore, tennis elbow can occur in most people.

2. Symptoms:

Common symptoms of tennis elbow include localized elbow pain that affects primarily the outside of the elbow, with pulling pain up the upper arm and down the outside of the forearm; limited wrist movement, and pain that often worsens when the fingers are straightened or the wrist is dorsiflexed (flexed toward the back of the hand).

3. The treatment options in our hospital are as follows:

1. Non-surgical treatment: Suitable for most cases, including local injection of drugs and rest, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and external application of Chinese medicine.

2. Surgical treatment: It is suitable for a very small number of patients with severe symptoms and who are ineffective with conservative treatment. In the early stage, it is only necessary to completely cut the deep fascia in a circular manner 4-5 cm away from the apex of the lateral epicondyle of the humerus.

3. Arc-blade needle therapy: Arc-blade needle therapy can relieve the traction and compression on the peripheral nerves by incision, loosening adhesions and scars, while improving local blood circulation and metabolism, thereby quickly alleviating pain. This is what Chinese medicine calls “no pain if the blood is unobstructed” and “no pain if the blood is prosperous”.

IV. Preventive measures

The onset of lateral epicondylitis is related to chronic injury and is often caused by fatigue in middle-aged and elderly people. Therefore, the labor intensity should not be too high. Do not walk with heavy objects for long periods of time. Do not wash too much clothes at one time and do not play mahjong for too long to prevent strain on the lateral epicondyle muscle fascia. Paying attention to physical exercise, actively moving the upper limb joints and strengthening muscle strength can help prevent the occurrence of this disease. Before working, do functional exercises to prepare, and actively perform exercises such as clenching fists, flexing elbows, pronating, and straightening fists every day. Do not frequently use cold water while working to avoid external injuries.