Healthy Elbow

1. The first step to shedding the calluses and buildup coating your elbows is to become conscious of the bad habit that causes it. Think about it the skin over your elbows is responsible for protecting the joints, muscles and bones that allow your arm to move and flex. Over time, your skin will need to adapt to the pressure. You probably already know that thick skin accumulates in places that need extra protection from abrasion, like your heels and .....

Keep Them Clean

2. Why are the hardworking elbows such a common dry spot, Much like your knees, those little folds and creases are susceptible to dryness and general unattractiveness, but theyre important without that skin, your joints wouldnt have enough room to flex. Unfortunately, when your arms are straight, your elbow skin has no choice but to bunch up, and its easy for dust and germs to collect, which can be dangerous. Make sure you clean them often to preve .....

Exfoliate

3. Exfoliation scrubbing off dead skin buildup to expose the fresh, new cells underneath feels luxurious, and its even better when you can use stuff you already have at home. For a yummysmelling combination that will seriously soften your skin, mix two parts brown sugar with one part olive oil, and add a bit of ground ginger. Gently massage into your elbows and wash off with a wet cloth [source: WebMD]. Regular exfoliation is a great treatment for .....

Moisturize

4. Despite folds and creases galore, elbows are woefully lacking in the glands that keep the rest of your skin lubricated, so its up to you to pick up the slack. This is another endeavor where its easy to find helpful products at home. Milk is handy for a soothing soak. Thick moisturizing creams and petroleum jelly are the best products for a little postshower attention, and some experts recommend at least two applications a day.Other overthecounter .....

Check with Your Doctor

5. Considering the commonness of dry elbows and all of the possible causes, it seems as if you could try home and overthecounter remedies forever. In certain cases, though, a trip to the pharmacy just wont cut it.The elbows are common prey for psoriasis, though many people incorrectly assume its just a case of dryness [source: Kolsky Hertzig]. Psoriasis is characterized most often by patches of raised red skin topped off with shiny scales, which can .....

Start the Countdown

6. Elbows are unwieldy, knobby and generally awkwardlooking, so as long as they do their job properly, we rarely think about them. Even those of us who spend considerable time and effort to groom and clean the rest of our skin can be guilty of overlooking this spot. Unfortunately, it doesnt take long for neglect and bad habits to give way to thick, uncomfortable buildup. Though some of that buildup is necessary for protection, theres no need to sett .....

Elbow Pain Causes

7. The most common cause of elbow pain I see on a daily basis is from overuse or repetitive motion from desk jobs. Over time, things like typing, reaching for something across your desk for a phone, or even regular bench pressing, or pushups can be deleterious to the health of your elbows. Eventually small tears can begin accumulating in the surrounding tendons, which may cause inflammation and pain. This can become significantly worse as the tendon .....

Elbow Pain Symptoms

8. Elbow pain can come from the inner or outer part of your elbow, and in some cases the pain can radiate down your arm. Anything from a muscle strain, to tendon strain, tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, a fracture, or dislocation can cause elbow pain. The most common forms of elbow pain from overuse, or repetitive motions are muscle, or tendon sprains.Most people will notice pain when twisting the forearm or wrist, especially while holding onto some .....

Elbow Pain Treatment

9. First and foremost, the best way to treat elbow pain is to find the source of the pain and eliminate it at least temporarily. If you continue to do what caused the pain in the first place it is safe to say that the pain will linger. .....

Stretch Your Elbow and Wrist Flexors

10. This goes along with 1 as it relates to the mobility of your upper extremities. If your elbows, wrists, and shoulders are tight you risk damaging the soft tissue around these joints .In conjunction with foam rolling and SMR, it is a good idea to stretch these areas after improving the quality of the tissue.One stretch I have become a huge fan of using with many of my clients is the elbow and wrist flexors stretch. You extend your elbow and wrist .....

Limit Arm Isolation Exercises

11. In other words, ditch the single joint exercises like bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, and shoulder flies. Trust me on this one. Working the elbow joint in isolation is a sure fire way to keep that pain coming back. Instead, opt for full body exercises like pushups, pullups and bodyweight rows once your elbows are feeling a little better. This will ensure that your elbows are stabilized by more muscles than just your biceps and triceps.I have found .....

Supplement With Omega 3S

12. Reducing inflammation is just one more reason you should be supplementing with Omega3s or fish oil. This can help with the reduction of swelling and formation of scar tissue in your elbows.The other option would be to get more Omega3s in your diet from fish, walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds. Sprinkling flax or chia on your breakfast or salads is a simple way to make sure you are getting them in daily as fish isn .....

Swap The Barbell For Dumbbells

13. I know this one may be hard to swallow for many bench press addicts but switching to dumbbell exercises temporarily might be one of the best ways to ease chronic elbow pain from training. We all possess imbalances or asymmetries to some extent. Take for instance the hand with which you write. Chances are it is the same hand you throw with or carry your briefcase with. We all have a dominant side.If you have apparent shoulder motion asymmetries, d .....

elbow designed function

14. The elbow is the joint where three long bones meet in the middle portion of the arm. The bone of the upper arm (humerus) meets the inner bone of the forearm (ulna) and the outer bone of the forearm (radius) to form a hinge joint. The radius and ulna also meet in the elbow to allow for rotation of the forearm. The elbow functions to move the arm like a hinge (forward and backward) and in rotation (twisting outward and inward). The biceps muscle is .....

Tennis Elbow

15. Tennis elbow is a common term for a condition caused by overuse of arm, forearm, and hand muscles that results in elbow pain. You dont have to play tennis to get this, but the term came into use because it can be a significant problem for some tennis players.Tennis elbow is caused by either abrupt or subtle injury of the muscle and tendon area around the outside of the elbow. Tennis elbow specifically involves the area where the muscles and tendo .....

Elbow pain

16. Our elbows allow us to push and pull objects and turn our forearms in different directions. The elbow is indispensable in everyday use, enabling us to pick up the phone, use a fork or spoon, open or close doors and throw a ball. With such heavy use, it .....

Home stretching exercises

17. Tennis elbow results when the forearm muscles get too tight and cause increased tension on the bony attachments of tendons. Simple stretches to loosen up your forearms can help when the problem is in its early phase. .....

Receive deep tissue work or massage to improve blood flow

18. You probably developed this pain from overworking, so treat yourself to a high quality massage! This may break up scar tissue to facilitate healing when the issue is new within the first six weeks. A physical therapist may also perform this technique. .....

Put a brace on it

19. A counter force brace can offload the overworked tendon by redistributing the pressure and can provide immediate relief. .....

Topical creams

20. Prescriptionbased antiinflammatories have been shown to be effective since 1998. Alternatively, a pharmacist can create a custom cocktail including lidocaine an anesthetic or gabapentin for nerve like pain. Topicals may reduce the side effects typically seen with oral medications. .....

Avoid repeated cortisone injections

21. By now studies have confirmed that not only do steroid injections provide only shortterm relief, they can directly damage tendons, increasing risk of rupture. .....

Inject your own blood platelets to boost healing

22. This popular blood spinning procedure has been shown to be much more effective vs. cortisone at twoyear follow up and recently was shown to be 84 percent effective in the worlds largest multicenter placebo controlled clinical trial for plateletrich plasma (PRP). This therapy is best for chronic nonhealing tendons, as results may take 46 months for healing to occur. Most cases of tennis elbow will self resolve within two years, but these seven tip .....