While getting older, you start to experience joint and muscle pain that was never apparent before. I guess I first noticed pain and weakness in my forearm when I purchased my first home. I was so motivated to paint and improve my new residence, I never thought about repetitive motion injuries. In addition, I was traveling often for work and was always carrying around a heavy suitcase or two. When I was young, I never thought about the longevity and vulnerability of tendons, joints and muscles. One day you wake up with pain and weakness in a particular area and then you are scrambling to seek a remedy. We should all live by the saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” but not everyone does.
Most joint and tendon injuries are a result from an accumulation of stress that builds up over a period of time. Many people believe "I picked up a chair and that's how I hurt my back". However, that is not necessarily true. In fact, most of these types of injuries slowly build and ultimately manifest themselves in the form of pain, tenderness, and weakness. The problem being, once an injury has occurred, it takes an extended period of time for the healing process to work.
Tennis Elbow, or Epicondylitis (or lateral epicondylitis) is one of the most ordinary conditions that afflict the elbow, forearm and wrist. This particular condition will have various symptoms ranging from pain in your elbow joint, to pain running the entire length of your arm, as well as complete weakness in your hands (unable to grasp or pickup basic objects or tools or turn a doorknob). Despite its name, athletes are not the only people who develop this condition.
When I went seeking a remedy, it was a little confusing. For one, I don’t play Tennis, Golf or Baseball. However, I do paint, fix my house, carry grocery bags, pick up kids - all kinds of everyday tasks. Some of the remedies offered were a “Tennis Elbow Brace”, Ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory) and over the counter Analgesics. While discussing the problem with a Pharmacist friend of mine, he recommended Paraffin Wax Heat Therapy. He told me Physical Therapists regularly use Paraffin Wax, which is a derivative of petroleum jelly, to treat arthritis and a variety of joint injuries. Deep heat therapy is one of the few natural treatments that provide real results. The wax therapy locks in the heat, which allows for penetration into the tendons and ligaments, enabling the overall healing process.
Epicondylitis is literally caused by repeated contraction of the forearm muscles that you use to straighten and raise your hand and wrist. The repeated motion and stress to the tissue results in tiny “micro” tears to the tendons that attach the muscles in this area. I never realized that I could very easily do my own wax therapy treatments at home. Once you have a warmer and few bars of your favorite wax scent, it is a simple process. I leave my wax warmer setup in a convenient place and now do 4 or 5 treatments per week.
My pharmacist friend was right, Paraffin Wax is one of the best solutions!
