Physical Therapy For Elbow Pain

Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear (Tommy John’s)

Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear Therapy Glendale AZ

Anatomy

The Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) is the most dense non contractile tissue in the medial elbow, its job is to stabilize the elbow when the lower arm is stressed to the outside (valgus stress). This occurs during overhead throwing, golfing and traumatic events. The UCL is made up of three primary bands of tissue, the anterior, posterior and transverse. The anterior band is nearly always the injured anatomy.

Who is at risk

The UCL accepts approximately 2x someone’s body weight of force during the act of pitching. Baseball pitchers are at the highest risk of injury. Signs of UCL strain or tear is medial elbow pain, a pop, inability to throw, numbness in the 4th and 5th digit.

How Pt can help

PT will differentially diagnose between a UCL injury versus medial elbow epicondylitis (golfers elbow), ulnar nerve injury, stress fracture etc. We will then develop a comprehensive treatment plan that includes; management of swelling and pain, restoring range of motion, progressive strengthening and return to sport.

Little League Elbow

Anatomy

Little League Elbow is a pathology affecting the growth plate in the medial elbow, this pathology occurs in younger teenagers as the medial epicondylar apophysis/growth plate is one of the last growth plates to close with maturity. This leaves it vulnerable to valgus stresses as overhead athletes begin throwing with higher velocities.

Who is at risk

Young teenagers who are playing a high volume of overhead athletics particularly baseball or who are pitching outside of recommended velocities and volumes. Signs and symptoms include elbow flexion contractures, weakness in the triceps, pain in the medial elbow and a gradual onset of pain.

How Pt can help

Little League Elbow is a complicated diagnosis as we have to differentiate between many medial elbow pathologies including: apophysitis, avulsion fracture, panner’s disease, stress fractures and UCL injuries. If your son or daughter is having medial elbow pain with overhead athletics it is important to have a diagnosis performed by a Board Certified Sports PT.

Tennis/Golfers Elbow

Anatomy

The muscles that control your wrist flexion and finger flexion attach more proximally at the medial elbow. If these muscles/tendons are stressed too quickly or too often they can develop tendonitis, what we refer to as medial epicondylitis or golfer’s elbow. This is a tendinous injury at the origin of your flexor muscles. This can be caused by many other sports than just golf.

Who is at risk

Middle aged individuals that perform repetitive lifting activities for their work duties or increase their recreational sporting activities. Pain is just proximal to the elbow on the inside portion, pain increases with picking items up and gripping items. Sports that are agreevating are racket sports, baseball, and golf.

How PT can help

This pathology is treated like most tendinopathies, eliminating the inciting stress, reducing inflammation and retraining the muscle groups both locally and more proximal in the shoulder.