Elbow Pain, Wrist Pain
Elbow Pain and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 
Eighty percent of chronic elbow pain is due to a sprain of the annular ligament, a ligament rarely examined by a family physician or an orthopedic surgeon. Nearly all of our patients with chronic elbow pain tell us their doctors told them they have tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and not a sprain of the annular ligament.

Elbow Ligament Injury
One of the most common sports injuries that is seen at Caring Medical in Oak Park, Illinois is elbow ligament laxity. By laxity, I mean, the ligament is no longer able to stabilize the elbow.

Ulnar Collateral Ligament
The ulnar collateral ligament supports the inside of the elbow and is a reason for most chronic medial elbow pains. the UCL is responsible for holding the ulnar bone to the distal end of the humerus. This enables the arm to flex, pivoting at the elbow.

Tennis Elbow Case History
Prolotherapy is a great option for anybody with chronic musculoskeletal pain, but it is especially good for injured athletes, as they can continue activity during treatment. Take the case of Bonnie, an avid tennis player who came to see us for a ligament injury, diagnosed as tennis elbow, which had originated from her aggressive tennis game.

Tennis Elbow, Golfer's Elbow Prolotherapy
The anatomical structures involved in tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis) are structures located very close to the skin. Thus, being so close to the skin, traditional treatments such as physical therapy, heat, ultrasound, and massage should very quickly resolve the problems by greatly increasing the metabolic rate in the muscle attachments at these sites. However, because these conditions do not recover quickly, this tells us that the muscles are not the problem, but rather, the underlying ligaments.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
It can be estimated that 5 million people have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and that some 37 million people suffer from chronic wrist pain.

The Use of Elbow Braces
To think that putting a band around the elbow could do anything to help a physical condition is ludicrous. Wearing a brace actually has the potential to harm the injured area due to the compression exerted by the brace and by changing the biomechanics of motion from the compressive force.

Wrist Injury and Prolotherapy
The wrist is one of the most complicated areas of the musculoskeletal system.

Elbow Pain and Prolotherapy
Another common cause of chronic elbow pain is an ulnar collateral ligament sprain. This ligament supports the inside of the elbow. It is responsible for holding the ulnar bone to the distal end of the humerus. In other words it enables the arm to flex, pivoting at the elbow.

Tennis Elbow, Golfer's Elbow "Tommy John Surgery"
Some doctors will nearly always give a surgical option for the condition of elbow instability. Typically, the "Tommy John" surgery is offered. This involves taking a tendon from the wrist (palmaris longus tendon) and grafting this on the lateral or medial elbow, depending on which side is unstable.

Annular Ligament, The
Any kind of throwing motion, whether in javelin, baseball (especially the curve ball), bowling, or even lesser-known sports like hurling, puts tremendous force on this ligament.

Bilateral elbow tendinosis
Cynthia is a 45 year old formerly active woman who came to Caring Medical on April 18, 2006 with complaints of bilateral forearm and elbow pain. The pain in the left elbow was present since July 2004 and in the right elbow since February 2003.