Pain occurring in the hand can sometimes be relieved by the gentle manual treatment of osteopaths depending on the cause.

Osteoarthritis or wear and tear in the joints of the hand and the elbow may be the cause of your symptoms and may benefit from treatment and advice from an osteopath.

X-rays, scans and other tests are sometimes required to make a diagnosis and your osteopath may refer to your GP or a specialist for any additional investigations or treatment.

Pain in the elbow is often due to two main conditions – tennis elbow and golfers elbow.

Tennis elbow causes pain and tenderness around the outside of the elbow joint, whereas golfer’s elbow causes pain around the inner side of the joint.

Tennis elbow is more common than golfers elbow and both are injuries from repetitive overuse or wear and tear from any hobby, sport or activity not just tennis or golf as the name implies. Sometimes a single injury such as a sudden unexpected tug on the forearm can cause the symptoms.

Once the pain starts, your normal activities and habits can maintain the problem.

Pre-existing problems with your neck, wrist or shoulder, that might not be painful in themselves, can make it more likely for you to suffer with tennis or golfers elbow. Most cases ease naturally eventually but many people seek treatment and advice from an osteopath.

How can osteopaths help?

  • We can use a variety of different massage and manipulation techniques to try to ease your symptoms, get to the cause of the problem and get you back to your normal life style. We may gently manipulate the elbow, wrist, neck and upper back joints.
  • We may offer you advice on which activities and movements to avoid, advice on specific exercise and advice an appropriate elbow brace support or sports strapping.
  • We may suggest you see your GP for advice about pain medication or anti-inflammatories or refer you to them for further investigations.
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