We are a welcoming family clinic in Blackheath offering osteopathic treatment for elbow pain, tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow. We treat all the family including babies and children, and booking is easy with our online system. There are no long wait times and you can usually see one of our osteopaths face-to-face within 24-48 hours of booking your appointment.
In addition to osteopathic treatment we also offer sports massage, dry needling and cranial osteopathy. We also treat many related conditions such as shoulder pain and neck pain, and offer Blackheath back pain clinic and Blackheath sports injury clinic services.
Elbow pain can have many different causes. Some common causes for the types of elbow pain we typically see at the clinic include:
Elbow pain can also be caused by various chronic conditions such as arthritis, and obviously by broken bones if a trauma is severe enough. Certain sports such as racket sports also put a lot of strain on the elbow. We are trained Primary Care Practitioners who are able to diagnose your injury in the first instance, and refer you to other treatments or for further diagnostic tests such as X-rays if osteopathy is not the most appropriate treatment for you.
Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are common conditions that affect the tendons attached to the epicondyles, which are the bony bumps you can feel on either side of the elbow. Overuse of the elbow can cause inflammation leading to tendinitis.
The only practical difference between tennis and golfer’s elbow is the location of the pain. Tennis elbow affects the tendon attached to the outer epicondyle (lateral epicondylitis), and golfer’s elbow affects tendons attached to the inner epicondyle (medial epicondylitis). Despite their names they are not sport-specific, and you may well get either a tennis or golfer’s elbow from any activity which puts strain on the elbow.
There are many ways to treat elbow pain depending on the type of injury and its severity. If you have a mild sprain, strain or overuse injury, resting the elbow and staying healthy may be enough for the pain to go away by itself in time. Some people and therapists also feel that the use of ice and/or heat is beneficial, and your osteopath will be happy to advise you.
At the other end of the scale, serious injuries such as broken bones or torn ligaments may require hospital treatment, but typical elbow aches and pains can be effectively treated with physical therapy. Hands-on physical therapy treatment can help you recover quickly and avoid the need for drugs or invasive treatment.
Osteopathy is an ideal treatment for many kinds of elbow pain. Osteopaths are experts on the musculoskeletal system and in treating issues such as sprains and strains and overuse injuries. Osteopaths are also first contact practitioners, able to assess and diagnose your elbow pain in the first instance and refer you for further tests or for other treatment if necessary.
Osteopaths use a range of physical therapy techniques to treat elbow pain. This includes direct joint manipulation, joint mobilisation, soft tissue techniques such as sports massage, stretching and dry needling. Osteopathy is a highly personalised treatment so the treatments used may be different from one patient to the next, depending on the best way to treat your particular problem.
We are a welcoming clinic for all the family based in Blackheath, South East London, offering osteopathy, sports massage, cranial osteopathy and dry needling. 45-minute face-to-face appointments are normally available within 24-48 hours, and booking an appointment is quick and simple using our online system.
At your first appointment we will give you time to explain your symptoms and what has brought you to the clinic. Your osteopath will then proceed to a physical examination both of the painful area and of your general biomechanics. Your osteopath will give you a professional diagnosis and explain the most appropriate treatment plan for your case. You will normally begin treatment immediately and should notice an improvement from the first session.
If you have any questions about our treatments and how we can help in your case, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
The information on this page has been reviewed for accuracy by Nirosan Sriskandarajah MOst, osteopath and clinical director of Sphere Osteopathic Clinic.
Sphere Osteopathic Clinic
5 Delacourt Road
Blackheath
London SE3 8XA
