Bursitis is often caused by one-sided activities or repetitive movements, such as when you are cashiering at the checkout. Muscular imbalances or poor posture can also cause bursitis of the elbow, as the constant lifting of the shoulder increases the tone of the entire shoulder-neck area, arm area and the load on the elbow. An adequate therapy must be found to prevent the bursitis from becoming chronic.
Exercises for bursitis of the elbow
The most important thing in bursitis is the detonation of the tense muscles. Eccentric muscle training should be performed in the case of a chronic inflammation of the muscle attachments, which can become the cause of bursitis. In this case, the patient’s arm is in a comfortable position and the hand is held in overhang.
He is given a light dumbbell or water bottle in his hand and actively pulls his hand up and very slowly lets his hand return to the neutral position. The slow release is especially important for the muscle, because the fibers are slowly pulled apart. To mobilize the entire arm, the counteracting mobilization from the functional movement theory is also suitable.
Here, the patient moves his elbow backwards past the body. The elbow is positioned outwards and the palm of the hand is turned upwards. Then the patient extends his arm and turns the hand forward and the wrist is stretched.
Repeat this motion sequence several times. It is important that the shoulders are kept down. Mobilization of the shoulders is also important.
Since the tone of the shoulder-neck muscles is usually increased and continues to stretch over the entire arm, the shoulder should be loosened. The patient can achieve this himself by shoulder circling. Furthermore, stretching the Trapezius muscle by pressing down the hand and tilting the head sideways towards the opposite side helps to minimize the tonus. Further exercises can be found under:
- Exercises for elbow pain
- Exercises for elbow arthrosis
- Exercises for torn ligaments at the elbow
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