iPhone Elbow
With all of the new iPhones and smartphones and other handheld internet devices that so many people seem to be constantly attached to, it’s no wonder when some come to see me with pain in their elbow. In some extreme examples, the pain can radiate out from the elbow during flexing the elbow or rotating the wrist under load. Carrying one’s internet device in the hand and keeping the elbow at a constant 90 degree bend can over time cause Lateral Epicondylitis to develop. This condition has also been called “tennis elbow” but since most people no longer play tennis, but carry a device instead, let’s call it “iPhone Elbow.”
Massage can be very useful in relieving the pain and tenderness associated with iPhone elbow. Longitudinal release and Cross-fiber friction will help to relax the forearm extensor muscles, and local compression will help to deactivate any trigger points. Ice massage will greatly reduce inflammation, and client education in conducting self-care for between massage sessions.
The best way to avoid iPhone Elbow is to carry your device in your pocket, purse, or in a belt pouch when you are not actively using it. Answer your phone, look up information, send a text, and then put it away. If you must use it for a prolonged time, say in an extended text message conversation, then find a place to sit down and rest it on a tabletop or on your knees. You’ll spare your hands and elbows pain, and you won’t be one of those distracted iPhone users who bumps into lampposts and other people.
Let your arms hang freely at your sides when you are not using the device, and do some wrist stretches throughout the day. Here’s a useful stretch for you:
- Take one hand in the other and gently flex the held hand’s wrist. That is, bend the wrist in the direction of the palm of the hand.
- Straighten that same arm’s elbow.
- Slowly rotate the forearm so the elbow crease is pointing away from your body.
- Hold for 30 – 60 seconds.
If you are doing this correctly, you should feel a stretch from wrists all the way up to the outside of the elbow – the lateral side of the arm. Gradually, you will be able to increase the amount of wrist flexion, and even add flexing the fingers at the closest knuckle to the palm. Do this stretch three or more times a day, and you will notice a big improvement in the reduction of tightness and pain in the elbow. Self-care is a great way to help relieve your pain.
Stretching will help, but the services of a professional massage therapist can usually completely relieve the pain associated with lateral epicondylitis, usually in one to four one-hour sessions. This, of course, depends on the severity of the case, but in mild to moderate cases, a single session usually brings tremendous relief.
Book a massage now and be free of your iPhone Elbow!
End Winter with a Big Boost of Vitamin C – Winter Citrus Salad from the New York Times
Mark Bittman at the New York Times presents this delicious Winter Citrus Salad, just when we are all feeling cranky and waiting for darkness to get over already and Spring to arrive!
The Minimalist: Allowing Citrus to Add Sunshine (January 20, 2010)
- 2 blood oranges or tangerines
- 1 pink grapefruit
- 1 navel orange
- Salt
- 1/2 small red onion or 1 shallot, chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- Lime or lemon juice to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon or a pinch dried.
Yield: 4 servings.
- Peel citrus, removing as much pith as possible, and slice into wheels. Remove any pits, layer fruit on a serving dish, sprinkle with salt and garnish with chopped onion.
- Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, lime juice and tarragon until well combined; taste, adjust seasoning as needed and drizzle over salad.
I made it and it is delicious! You can make it, too, and help fight the end of Winter blahs!
And what else is great at the end of Winter? A nice relaxing and energizing “Fast Swedish” massage. Using the traditional strokes of Swedish massage, but performed with speed and energy, this massage will both relax you and shake up your blah mood and really lift your spirits! Book now!
February Focus: Couples Massage
As we enter the last stretch of winter, we naturally focus on cleaning out the old and getting ready for Spring. And what better way to help boost your health and clean out the old than be getting a couples massage session?
What is Couples Massage?
Imagine two back-to-back 90 minute massages, one for you and your loved one. The relaxing strokes of a Swedish massage, combined with the pain relief of deep tissue work, all with your choice of cremes and lotions to enhance your relaxation! And all at a great price for your budget.
Treat your special someone to a Couples Massage!
Stairway Walk – Golden Gate Heights
WHEN: 31 January 2010, from 11am to 3pm
WHERE: Kirkham Street and 15th Avenue, at the base of the stairway.
Yes, 2010 is seeing a continuation of our fun and successful Stairway Walk Tours – this time we’ll be going to the neighborhood of Golden Gate Heights, full of curving streets, and interesting vistas of the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate, and San Francisco itself. Also, the delightful Grand View Steps, a once-boring set of concrete steps that neighborhood artists and activists transformed with a truly stunning tile mosaic on the risers. Photographs cannot adequately describe the beauty of the mosaic – you simply must see it yourself!
An event invitation exists over on Facebook, but if you do not have a Facebook account, you can RSVP by commenting to this blog entry.
Serratus Posterior Superior – Third layer down, relieves arm numbness
A client recently came to me complaining about the numbness on the posterior forearm and into his shoulder. My initial thought was that it was infraspinatus related, from the shoulder referred pain pattern, but after relieving the trigger points in his infraspinatus, the numbness persisted in his forearm. So more investigation was required.
I found a similar pattern described by Travell and Simons in the Serratus Posterior Superior muscle, which lies deep to the Rhomboids – the third layer of muscle tissue down, beneath the Trapezius and the Rhomboids. The muscle originates on the spinous processes of the vertebrae, out to the cranial surface of ribs 2 through 5. It assists in breathing by drawing the ribs superiorly and posteriorly. When it refers pain, it commonly refers into the anterior surface of the deltoid, and down into the forearm extensors.
So, I place my client prone and place the scapula bone abducted, away from the spine. This exposes the likeliest location of the SPS’ trigger point, the attachment spot at the second rib insertion. Stretching the trapezius and rhomboid lengthen and thin out their tissues, allowing me to access the deeper layers of muscle with less effort and more accuracy.
That’s one reason I love my robot table so much; it lets me put my clients into comfortable, fully supported positions that allow me to more effeciently and effectively access tissues that are much more difficult to do on an ordinary flat table.
When I palpated the client’s insertion on the second rib, the referred pain pattern in his forearm and front of the deltoid was elicited, and I felt a moment of relief, happy that I had correctly found the source of the pain. Since the muscle is so deep, feeling its tissues becomes easier when one moves the scapula out of the way, and lengthens the shallower muscles.
Using a vaulted hand, I applied ischemic compression into the trigger point, which slowly shrank away. I think part of what is happening is that the ribs are being pulled enough to impinge upon the pathway of the brachial plexus, compressing the nodes that ennervate the anterior deltoid, and forearm extensors.
The client reported the absence of numbness at the conclusion of the session. The client’s physician had thought that it would take a good massage therapist to be able to access this layer of tissue, and that an injection would probably have been necessary to alleviate the pain. I am hopeful that that the more invasive approach will not be necessary. My next steps will probably involve the application of ice for 20 minutes to the area before attempting a shiatsu compression with the client’s breath to stretch the muscle. I can modify my table to provide excellent side-lying support by changing out the head cushion and using the U-shaped chest cushion. I love my table!
Anyway, the challenges and satisfaction at being able to find touch-related pain relief for people is very gratifying for me. It’s fun and rewarding to help other people.