When you're suffering from tennis shoulder, taking time off from your usual game can feel frustrating. If tennis is a big part of your health routine and social life, you'll want to return to it as quickly as possible. At Carl Gittens, MD, Regenerative Medicine, we regularly treat patients with tennis shoulder. If this is a complaint you're suffering from, here are some of our top tips for an easier recovery.
Tennis shoulder recovery is much easier when you don't repeat the movements that caused the injury. Although you won't need to stay away from tennis forever, you do need to ease off for the time being. In some cases, it's necessary to stop playing until your medical team agrees it's safe to continue. There's no set period for those who do need to stop as your doctor will make each decision on a case by case basis.
While you're stepping away from tennis, consider using other cardiovascular activities as a part of your exercise routine. As a result, you won't crave your usual form of exercise too much and you'll stay in good shape for your next game.
As experts in anatomy and injury recovery, physiotherapists are essential when you're dealing with tennis shoulder. Your physiotherapist will begin your first appointment by assessing the severity of the situation. From there, they'll provide you with a series of exercises to try at home.
Following the exercises your therapist prescribes makes tennis shoulder treatment much more effective. Make sure you attend your follow-up appointments too. They'll probably alter your exercises as time goes on, which makes it easier for you to free yourself from pain. As you progress further, you'll grow closer to your recovery goal.
When you're experiencing a lot of pain, recovering from tennis shoulder is challenging. Ongoing pain can cause you to hold your shoulder in an awkward position. Additionally, it can result in you failing to engage with all your prescribed exercises. As with injuries to other joints, your tennis shoulder treatment depends on engaging with a range of movements. Because of this, there may come a time when you need to use pain relief.
Using an NSAID such as ibuprofen or naproxen is a reliable way to reduce local inflammation. As a result, you'll have an easier time moving your shoulder around and you'll speed up your recovery. If you're asthmatic, make sure you seek advice from your doctor before trying NSAIDs. Additionally, if you plan to take them for more than a few days, seek advice about protecting your stomach.
At Carl Gittens, MD, Regenerative Medicine, we regularly help our patients with tennis shoulder recovery. One way we achieve this is with PRP therapy. PRP therapy involves taking a blood sample from you so we can produce a platelet-rich product. We'll then inject that product into the injured area to speed up the recovery process. As the platelets induce a healing cascade, they'll also send out growth factor signals from the area. The result of this is faster injury healing, so you can return to your usual activities sooner than expected.
Alternatively, you can try our stem cell therapies. Stem cell injections have a strong relationship with advanced tissue healing. Many of our patients use them to speed up the healing of tendons and ligaments. This means they're particularly advantageous when you're suffering from more than a simple sprain.
At Carl Gittens, MD, Regenerative Medicine, we routinely assist patients with tennis shoulder treatment. If you'd like to make an appointment with Dr. Gittens, call 772 288 4111.
