h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

But *none* of natropathic medicine has any evidence base at all! Yes they study for four years, but four years of nonsenical mumbo jumbo. It's a mixture of common sense lifestyle advice et

I'm not bothered what people waste their money on, but really this sounds like it's not done any good at all and may have made it worse.

Please don't go back to them! What did the actual physiotherapist - who is appropriately trained say?

The physiotherapist with the 'proper' training is very popular, so I didn't manage to get an appointment until Friday two weeks from now.

And I trust this naprapath and so far in life, I've never been let down by or disappointed in anyone I have trusted. Call it 'instinct' if you like - mumbo jumbo enough for you?

But your elbow is black and blue?

Blue and red actually but then, ever since my edema, I bruise very easily. I had several bruises after my sleepwalking, but none of them from crashing into anything heavily enough to wake me up from the pain.

And you can't ignore the placebo effect, there's too much evidence base for that - who's to say it won't work this time?

And I'm sorry for not providing all the details to begin with, but I wasn't expecting a classically schooled to barge in here displaying all the usual prejudices against 'alternative' methods.

Er... sorry.

My predjucies are based on the preference for using reality based medicine...

I know Z, and I know you do it because you care - it's just that with the family background I have on my mother's side, 'alternative' is very much a viable option

Honestly I was lurking (I do consider you a friend) and I really don't post when I see people using things I don't agree with, unless it seems that they are harming them. If it seems to be damaging I do feel obliged to not stand by and let people harm themselves.

Well, I'm a fast healer, so I'm pretty sure my elbow will look and feel a bit different in just a few days. I'll keep posting any changes I experience.

I know for some conditions resting things can make it worse, as it means the muscles atrophy, I was more concerned about the rest that whatever he actually did to your elbow.

And I'm still going to see the physiotherapist from whom I expect to get advice on how to prevent this to happen again. Did I mention her credentials? *checks back but fails to find anything*

She's in her mid 50ies I'd say, so probably experienced. She's also an ergonomist and has a magister exam (? couldn't be bothered to find a proper translation, sorry) in work related rehab.

And when I told the naprapath, his response was 'she'll probably have a different approach, and a different method of threating the condition'.

Resting, but also doing the 'pressure points' every other day by myself (don't think I'll be quite as brutal to myself as he was though) and stretching every day, so not completely leaving it be.

Post 27: it should be 'valid' Perview is my fiend...

'treating' not 'threating' - I blame you Z for nudging this hedgehog...

*sigh*

typo night tonight...

Not sure why I have red bruises though, this is the first time I've seen that colour. Am thinking the naprapath might have used a new kind of oil, so that it's a skin reaction rather than anything else. We'll see...

I've had a look at the research, though it's not my area, and this study suggests that exercise is better for tennis elbow that non-exercise:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3207303/?tool=pubmed

So I'm not sure that resting it is really a good idea.

And yet, I'm not entirely convinced that straining an already inflamed muscular attachment with even more pressure on it to perform regardless of the pain it causes is a good idea.

I'll stick with the advice from the naprapath until I see the physiotherapist.

And I don't blindly follow anything suggested by the naprapath either - after today's session, there was some time left over, and he suggested my neck, but I insisted on more work on my forearms because I had felt a tension and also a tenderness in a specific part on my *right forearm - and yes, he did indeed locate and deal with several muscle knots there.

Some still left though, because there wasn't enough time. Too bad I can't untie them myself - yet.

Elbow less sore this morning, and those of my bruises that were red have turned rusty, and they've 'merged' so that I now have what looks like one giant rust coloured bruise with purple streaks.

I think I'll use my mobile to take photos of my elbow so that I can compare them and follow the progress.

I seem to bruise more easily than usual - even with the edema. Earlier today, I tried 'unknotting' one of the remaining muscle knots on the outside of my right forearm, just above the wrist.

Now, I'm not very strong in either fingers, wrists or arms (I don't do any weight lifting, push-ups or such) so I was a bit surprised to find a slightly bluish mark where I had pressed down my thumb and 'massaged' the knot in tiny circles.