Laser Acupuncture for Pickleball Elbow
Pickleball has exploded in popularity in recent years, thanks to its fun, fast-paced nature. Although its court is half the size of a tennis court, and is overall less physically demanding, injuries such as “tennis” elbow (lateral epicondylitis) can still develop.
Lateral epicondylitis is an overload-related injury of the tendons that attach the extensor muscles of your forearm. To prevent it from affecting sports and everyday life for years, it’s possible to seek out pickleball elbow treatment in Chicago at Life Balance Clinic in Glenview.
How Does Laser Acupuncture Help with Pickleball Elbow?
Laser acupuncture appears to reduce the pain and inflammation that are part of tennis elbow. Like manual acupuncture, it aims to rebalance your life energy (qi) and flow of blood. Acupuncture is known to increase blood flow and oxygen levels in the tendons, so their cells have more resources to devote to repair and a higher clearance rate of metabolic waste and debris from injury. The low-level laser light used in this form of acupuncture may also increase cellular energy production and the growth of numerous cell types, leading to a shorter healing time.
How Many Acupuncture Treatments are Needed for Pickleball Elbow?
The severity of your tennis elbow determines the exact number of treatments you need, alongside their frequency. Relatively milder cases may only need 6-8 sessions, for example, but more severe injuries can require several months of treatment.
Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Pickleball/Tennis Elbow
Laser acupuncture can significantly relieve pain in tennis elbow (or pickleball elbow), and patients maintain these benefits long after treatment ends. It also improves grip strength and range of motion, indicating improved healing.
Both manual and laser acupuncture may be effective in treating tendon inflammation. One case study of a similar condition found a reduction in pain from 5/10 to 0/10 after just seven sessions, for example. This is not seen with conventional treatment alone, where the expected healing time may be months, years, or non-existent as the damage does not self-resolve.
At Life Balance Clinic, Dr. Vadim Dekhtyar, DACM proudly offers the best in acupuncture therapies to patients with sports injuries such as tennis elbow. To learn more, click here or contact us at 847-724-1777.