What IS Selfie Elbow? Is It A Real Overuse Injury?
Do you have wrist or elbow pain from taking too many selfies? (Or texting or using your ipad?) You may have a “new” type of Tech Injury, many are starting to call “Selfie Elbow”
Only this isn’t truly a new medical condition, it’s just the repetitive actions causing it that are new. (As in holding your arm out – elbow extended and snapping selfie pics over and over)
As far as the nature of the injury is concerned, it’s likely that you have either Golfer’s Elbow or Tennis Elbow – And we can treat that here at Body In Balance! (If you’re in the Marin / S.F. Bay Area, anyway.)
Got Selfie Elbow? Yes, it IS a real condition! And you can get treatment for it here.
Here’s my detailed perspective in an article on my Tennis Elbow companion site:
Article on Selfie Elbow and how it’s basically Tennis Elbow
Addressing the following issues, questions and concerns:
- Don’t Ignore These Early Warning Signs!
- Selfie Elbow Is Likely Either Golfer’s Or Tennis Elbow
- Here’s How NOT To Treat It
- So, How SHOULD You Treat Your Selfie Elbow Injury?
- Should You Get A ‘Selfie Stick’ To Take The Strain Off?
- Self Help For Selfie Elbow! (Golfer’s Or Tennis Elbow)
But here are the most important parts of the article:
What NOT To Do In Treating Your Selfie Elbow
The standard medical approach (incorrectly blaming inflammation for the problem) seeks to immobilize the area with a brace, cool the area with ice and suppress inflammation with pills and sometimes Cortisone shots.
- Why Icing your elbow is wrong
- Why wearing a brace is a bad idea – And this braces video, as well
- Why Cortisone shots are the biggest mistake (Damaging AND Ineffective)
So, don’t take this “Resting, Hoping and Waiting” – “Immobilize, Cool and Suppress” approach – Although it may help ease your symptoms temporarily (I don’t deny that) it doesn’t address the real problem, so the injury tends to get worse and the pain tends to come back with a vengeance. (What I call The Vicious Cycle.)
So, How Should You Treat Your Selfie Elbow Injury?
I recommend that most Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow (and now Selfie Elbow) sufferers follow the complete opposite approach as in “Mobilize, Warm and Allow!”
Everyone’s Taking Selfies These Days!
To mobilize the muscles and tendons involved (gently) instead of immobilizing them with a brace…
To warm the area to stimulate blood flow and allow the inflammatory process to do what it’s there to do, which is part of the healing process.
No cooling / inhibiting / suppressing ice, anti-inflammatory pills or Cortisone shots.
The one area of agreement is exercise – which is undeniably essential for rehab and long-term injury recovery and prevention of re-injuries…
BUT, instead of starting rehab exercises early on, I don’t see them as the priority or proper first step.
I’m convinced that for most sufferers, the priority should be on mobilizing your muscles and tendons – Releasing muscle tension, sticky ‘Adhesions’ and Scar Tissue, and stretching frequently.
Treatment in Marin / San Francisco
If you’re in the Bay Area, please see my page about how I treat Tennis Elbow, since that’s ultimately what Selfie Elbow is and what I’ve been specializing in treating very successfully for over a decade:
Tennis (Or Selfie) Elbow treatment at Body In Balance in Corte Madera
You get 100% hands-on Neuromuscular Therapy to help your muscles and tendons heal and recover naturally without dangerous drugs or invasive measures.
And if you’re not in the Bay Area, close enough to work with me personally, but want a home program to help you treat your own Selfie/Golfer’s/Tennis Elbow, here’s what I can have for self-help programs for these conditions:
Tennis Elbow Classroom – For pain / tendon problems at the OUTER elbow
Golfer’s Elbow Classroom – For pain / tendon problems at the INNER elbow
How This Whole Selfie Elbow Story Started And Went Viral
Also here is a my Storify compilation in a shorter format covering the story on how this trendy story got it’s legs: