Cell Phone Elbow & Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh®
by Dennis Gibbons, LMT
On Tuesday, June 2, 2009 CNN and other news channels ran a story on Cell Phone Elbow. This is not a rebuttal on the type of treatment but an alternative way of treating this dilemma. Personally I do not like cell phones, so therefore do not use them often. The fact is that they have become a way of life and in many cases the only way many people conduct their day to day business. The numbness in the hand and wrist is discomfort that has started awhile ago and that is basically the culmination of much overuse of the upper extremity.
Although the discomfort is in the hand and fingers, like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, the problem is in the neck and upper shoulder girdle. The ulnar nerve (see picture) is the culprit. This nerve originates off of the base of the neck and wraps itself around and through the shoudler girdle region. It passes under the collar bone and travels down the inside part of the arm.
Trail of Ulnar Nerve
They referred to the arm being bent at more than 90° and therefore keeping a constant pressure on the nerve. This is all true but I would like to add one more item to this scenario. The nerve as stated in the article needs to stretch but the overstretching of this nerve causes the problem. I like to look at the nerves and arteries as running through tubes within the body, when these tubes become restricted they will limit the nerves and arteries ability to slide freely within. When bending the elbow the tube becomes crimped and therefore limits the ability to slide. The root of the problem needs to be addressed and that is what we do with Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh®.
Looking at the whole person is necessary, because when the person is talking on the phone there is more than just the elbow being distorted. Just watch someone talking on a phone in their automobile, they are leaing on their elbow and their body is distorted as much as needed to accommodate this posture. With the mid back spine rotated the infamous rotator cuff muscles need to be activated to allow this to happen. I have found that most individuals that come in with this ailment also have mid back problems. The Infraspinatus muscle, which is the large muscle that traverses across the outside part of the shoulder, assists in rotation of the upper thoracic spine is normally found in an abnormal isometric contracture. Physiologically this creates a postural change in the shoulder joint, depressing the collar bone and placing inordinate pressure on the brachial plexus, which the ulnar nerve is part of.
Looking at the whole person is necessary, because when the person is talking on the phone there is more than just the elbow being distorted. Just watch someone talking on a phone in their automobile, they are leaing on their elbow and their body is distorted as much as needed to accommodate this posture. With the mid back spine rotated the infamous rotator cuff muscles need to be activated to allow this to happen. I have found that most individuals that come in with this ailment also have mid back problems. The Infraspinatus muscle, which is the large muscle that traverses across the outside part of the shoulder, assists in rotation of the upper thoracic spine is normally found in an abnormal isometric contracture. Physiologically this creates a postural change in the shoulder joint, depressing the collar bone and placing inordinate pressure on the brachial plexus, which the ulnar nerve is part of.
Ulnar Nerve
This entrapment is exacerbated when the elbow is bent and the shoulder elevated above 90° while holding the phone to your ear. The Ulnar nerve is being overstretched and crimped at the same time as it passes through the elbow joint. There is a fibrous ligament that developed during our embryonic stages that holds this nerve in place. As that ligament is overused, as when it is held in that position for a period of time, the connective tissue that surrounds it becomes even more fibrous and places more pressure on the nerve.
With Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® we are able to isolate that nerve from the neck region down through the upper extremity into the hand. This is performed by isolating and placing a gentle, non-invasive stretch release to the connective tissue that encapsulates the nerve through its entire pathway.
The Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® practitioner will evaluate not only the elbow where the pain emanates from but also your posture. The predicament many individuals face is that they have the pain area treated but do not have the body’s posture balanced to offset future issues. When discomfort is felt in one area the body will compensate or counter balance itself to allow the body to still function while minimizing the discomfort. It is this counterbalancing that often is the prelude to the original problem resurfacing or a new one starting.
So before opting for the surgical route it would probably benefit you to check out this alternative method of relief. If your situation is so advanced that surgery is the only option left, then you will have given your body the opportunity to heal itself and positioned it to recover faster by receiving Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh®. A balanced posture is necessary to relieve as much stress as possible from itself. It is this stress factor that will complicate your recovery.
If you have further questions, please visit our website, www.chagrinvalleywellness.com, and follow the links to Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® or call our office, (877) 349-0120, to talk to one of the Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® practitioners.
Dennis Gibbons, LMT
Creator and Developer of Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh®
With Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® we are able to isolate that nerve from the neck region down through the upper extremity into the hand. This is performed by isolating and placing a gentle, non-invasive stretch release to the connective tissue that encapsulates the nerve through its entire pathway.
The Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® practitioner will evaluate not only the elbow where the pain emanates from but also your posture. The predicament many individuals face is that they have the pain area treated but do not have the body’s posture balanced to offset future issues. When discomfort is felt in one area the body will compensate or counter balance itself to allow the body to still function while minimizing the discomfort. It is this counterbalancing that often is the prelude to the original problem resurfacing or a new one starting.
So before opting for the surgical route it would probably benefit you to check out this alternative method of relief. If your situation is so advanced that surgery is the only option left, then you will have given your body the opportunity to heal itself and positioned it to recover faster by receiving Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh®. A balanced posture is necessary to relieve as much stress as possible from itself. It is this stress factor that will complicate your recovery.
If you have further questions, please visit our website, www.chagrinvalleywellness.com, and follow the links to Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® or call our office, (877) 349-0120, to talk to one of the Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® practitioners.
Dennis Gibbons, LMT
Creator and Developer of Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh®