04 Oct Chronic Tennis Elbow That Would Not Improve With Other Treatments Finally Gets Better With Astym
Several years ago, I had a client who was a mechanic with bilateral elbow lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow on both arms). He received traditional treatments of anti-inflammatories, iontophoresis/phonophoresis, modalities of e-stim and ice, stretching, and gentle strengthening exercises. He was unable to rest his elbows due to his job demands. After his bilateral tennis elbow had no success with multiple other therapies, he finally received an order for Astym treatments at a clinic that was more than an hour’s drive from his home.
He came into our clinic to show me his outcome after 3 weeks. He was very happy with the Astym results. After Astym treatment, he was able to get back to doing a full day’s work as a mechanic. Other than the initial bruising, he was satisfied with his quick turn around and ability to function with less pain. Of course, I asked what therapy was helping him so much, and he emphatically said “Astym.” I decided that this may be a service our rural area could use and signed up for the certification class in Indiana.
We have been using Astym in our clinic for the last 5 years, with several success stories. We mostly see foot tendinopathies for Astym referred from a local podiatrist, but the occasional elbow or IT Band syndrome will also get referred to us. One such case was a 46 y/o female marathoner with bilateral plantar fasciitis who was treated successfully last fall and was able to resume running, which she had to stop because of foot pain. She entered a half marathon and was able to start training after 7 weeks of Astym treatments.
Astym results are quick, with client compliance being important to perform proper soft tissue stretching and training techniques. When clients are properly educated and see their function and pain improving, compliance in their program makes the system work. Since we see quite a few Astym clients, we have sent another PTA from our clinic to obtain the certification. We feel it is a useful tool to help our community and allow our practice to grow.
Meet today’s guest bloggers:
Kris Korsan, PTA (left) has been a physical therapy assistant for 20 years, and co-owns City Center Rehabilitation, a private orthopedic and sports medicine clinic in Peru, Illinois.
Tracy Daugherty, M.S., ATC, PTA (right) has been a certified athletic trainer for 14 years and a physical therapy assistant for four years. Ms. Daugherty works with Ms. Korsan at City Center Rehabilitation in Peru, Illinois.
