Follow Up Elbow Treatment

A few weeks ago I wrote about treating my elbow injury with cupping and acupuncture. That was the acute stage, and I was able to reduce the swelling and return range of motion.

Now, I am in the second stage of healing and rehabilitation. Almost all of the inflammation is gone, but I have weakness and occasional clicking. To treat that I am focusing on building muscle and tendon strength with acupuncture, trauma lineament,tui na, and exercises.

1. Acupuncture- acupuncture treatment at the site of injury will help bring qi and blood to the area. Acupuncture may also stimulate the cells in the area to regenerate, thereby helping healing on a cellular level. I give myself acupuncture 2 times per week.

2. Tui na- tui na, or acupressure, helps support the acupuncture in promoting circulation in the local area.

3. Trauma lineament is a topical herbal formula that helps to heal traumatic injuries through moving blood stagnation, warming and brings qi to the area.

4. Exercises and stretches are very important for joint rehabilitation. An old Chinese proverb says “A wooden hinge gets no worms.” Keeping the joint moving will help prevent further injury. Gentle moving exercises are best.

Just like most problems, combination treatment is the most effective. It is best to be proactive as close to the injury as possible, which is more likely to heal.