Today in our latest segment of the Dentistry Gym, Khalil Hussein is focusing on the elbow and wrist pain.
Two commonly irritable and painful areas for many dentists, the elbows especially contribute to a lot of the procedures conducted by dentists on a daily basis.
Common issues that can occur are colloquially known as tennis and golfer’s elbow. These issues are tendinopathy type issues that occur slowly over time. It is very rare to ever get an acute tendinopathy or tendinitis without gradual histological change first.
What this means is that over time the tendons and the tissues go through gradual changes. Some of these changes are age related and occur to everyone. However, most changes are related to the activities that you do daily. If there is a lot of repetitive strain without recovery to the area, then fibrosis can develop and cause the tendons and tissues to weaken over time.
Strength-based exercises for elbow and wrist pain
Fibrosis is similar to caries in that it can over time weaken the overall structure of the tooth. So when exposed to excess stress, the tooth can fracture or become damaged.
The tendons behave in similar ways and will get inflamed with injury. This process causes further fibrosis and further weakening over time, until the tendons become aggravated with even the slightest daily activities such as opening jars or brushing your teeth.
The way to combat this is to stress the tendons with strength-based exercises. This way we can elicit positive histological changes and create stronger, healthier tendons.
Stronger, healthier tendons are less likely to experience any elbow or wrist pain. They can handle all the daily stress that you throw at them.
This is the model that the Dentistry Gym follows. We aim to improve overall strength, mobility and flexibility of the body.
This class is designed for viewers to carry it out with minimal equipment at home. We don’t use weights so these exercises are quite safe for most people.
However, before conducting any exercises please consult your GP or allied health therapist for guidance and advice about your own circumstances and whether these exercises are the right thing for you.
Always seek medical advice before starting any exercise program.
Follow Khalil Hussein on his Instagram: @khalilchiro, or via his website: www.khalilhussein.net.
