The Elbow

Technique

• The patient sits next to the couch with the arm rested, the elbow held in 90° flexion.
• The therapist sits at a right angle to the patient's arm.
• With his contralateral hand he grasps the patient's elbow, while his other hand stabilizes the patient's forearm.
• He palpates for the tender spot in the triceps tendon(body or tenoperiosteal junction).
• He then puts one or two fingers at the medial side of the tendon.
• Counter-pressure with the thumb is then applied at the anterior aspect of the elbow.
• The therapist first abducts his arm and then brings it back into his side, which moves the fingers in a lateral direction transversely over the affected tissue. This is the active phase of the movement.
• This movement is followed by a passive phase: the arm is brought back into abduction while the pressure is released.
• Such repeated movements performed with a rhythm of about +/- 90 per minute result in a transverse friction to and fro over the lesion.