New treatment For Tennis Elbow and Painful Heel
17 Feb 2002
"Why has God done this to me?” a patient asked several months ago. She had developed tennis elbow and had been forced to stop playing her favourite sport. But to make matters worse she had also developed plantar fasciitis, commonly known as painful heel. And she having difficulty walking. But she learned that God hadn’t totally deserted her. Due to a new treatment she’s now back playing tennis and walking without pain.
Tennis doesn’t rival skiing down the Alps to head the list of sports causing serious injuries. But it’s estimated that eight million North Americans suffer from tennis elbow. Another seven million from painful heel. And doctors have needed the wisdom of Solomon plus a little luck to ease the pain.
Moreover, contrary to popular opinion, tennis elbow is not the exclusive bailiwick of tennis players. Carpenters, dentists, window cleaners, pianists and gardeners often complain of aching arms and shoulders. Tennis elbow occurs in any activity that requires gripping and continued stress. It occurs more frequently in older players, but it does not respect ability. Weekend hackers get it and so do professionals .
It’s generally believed that the backhand shot is the main culprit. But studies indicate it doesn’t matter whether players use wood or metal rackets, tight nylon or gut strings. Some sports medicine specialists believe it’s the size of the grip that makes the difference with a small grip causing the most pain.
Continued stress also triggers Plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a thick structure that runs from the heel bone to the ball of the foot. It aids in supporting the arch of the foot and, like the string on a bow, is subject to strong forces. This may cause small tears in the fascia In the process of healing a bony spur may occur causing pain. And when the feet hurt everything hurts.
Small wonder that so many people suffer from this condition. Today the typical worker walks seven miles a day. The busy housewife up to 10 miles a day. And the average person walks 70,000 miles in a lifetime, almost three times around the earth. Humans also now walk on concrete, buy tight, ill-fitting shoes and are often overweight. And in the process of evolution two legs have replaced four for supporting weight.
