Tennis elbow
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a common injury among everyday people and athletes who engage in repetitive arm and wrist movements. It’s characterised by pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow, and can be caused by a variety of factors, including overuse, poor technique, and muscle imbalances.
If you’re dealing with tennis elbow, there are a few things you can do to help alleviate your symptoms and promote healing. Here are some tips:
- Rest, ice, offload and isometrics
The first step in treating tennis elbow is to rest the affected arm as much as possible from aggravating tasks. This means avoiding any activities that cause the pain, such as grasping, gripping or lifting heavy objects. You can also apply ice to the affected area several times a day for 15-20 minutes at a time to help reduce inflammation. Starting long gentle contractions of the injured tendon will start to decrease the pain in the elbow.
- Tendon Strengthening Program
Strengthening exercises can help improve the pain associated with tennis elbow and will help prevent future injuries. Some exercises you can try include wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, and forearm pronation and supination. A structured rehabilitation process involving a graded strengthening program imperative to restore full pain free function again.
- Manual therapy
Massage therapy, dry needling and hands on treatment can help alleviate the pain and tension associated with tennis elbow. This is an adjunct to active therapies that can help.
- Brace it
Wearing a brace or support can help alleviate the pain and pressure on your elbow, and can also help prevent further injury. You can find a variety of braces and supports online or at your local sporting goods store.
- Activity Modification
If you’re an active person that does repetitive arm and wrist movements eg. Crossfit, weights, tennis, swimming. A modification in exercise types, intensity and technique is crucial to maintaining fitness while rehabbing the injury.
Overall, tennis elbow can be a frustrating and painful condition, but with the right treatment and care, you can recover and prevent future injuries. Be sure to rest your arm, do stretching and strengthening exercises, consider massage therapy, wear a brace or support, and use proper technique and equipment to help prevent further damage.
Don’t be surprised if this takes some time to heal. Rule of thumb at The Physio Depot is however long you have had it is how long it can take to get better!
If you have tennis elbow – Get in touch!
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Written by Pat Lincoln – Physiotherapist
