How To Treat Tennis Elbow
What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is a condition of the elbow that involves muscles that extend your wrist and fingers.
Pain is felt on the outside of your elbow where the tendons of these muscles attach. Tennis elbow is an overuse injury that can develop over time or after a specific activity.
The correct term for tennis elbow is actually Extensor Tendonopathy.
Tennis elbow causes:
Tennis elbow is caused by excessive wrist extension, and can be brought on by one episode of unaccustomed activity, e.g. hammering from an awkward position or playing a long 3 setter in tennis.
In it’s more chronic state by repetitive overuse of the wrist extensor muscles, e.g. using a computer mouse for long periods of the day at work, or repetitive gripping.
It can be common in tennis players with faults in technique, e.g. leading backhand strokes with the elbow rather than from the shoulders (hence the name ‘tennis elbow’).
Tennis elbow symptoms:
- Pain and tenderness around the outside portion of the elbow (often right on the tip of the elbow)
- Aggravated by gripping activities, using a computer mouse for long periods and resisted wrist extension
- Pain may radiate also down the forearm into the hand
How to treat tennis elbow:
Here are some methods on how to fix tennis elbow:
- A counter-force brace fitted in the right position can help to redirect the tensile forces acting through the tendon and relieve pain immediately. Sports tape can be used in a similar way as a test for whether a brace will help
- Soft tissue massage and myofascial release over the wrist extensor muscles can give great pain relief and promote the healing process. Palpable tight bands through the bulk of the wrist extensors may also need to be ‘released’ with deep tissue massage
- Commencing a home exercise routine of specific self massage, stretching and strengthening exercises are paramount in curing this problem for the long term.
- Education regarding changes to workstation, sporting technique or work habits is often required
- Depending on the phase of healing, ice, massage or heat can be a very useful adjunct to treatment, as can some electrotherapeutic modalities such as Ultrasound
- Stretching the nerves that run over the elbow and even treatment to the neck joints and muscles can be required if there is any issue there.
Managing tennis elbow at home:
The following techniques may not provide a comlete tennis elbow cure, but combined with tennis elbow exercises provided by your physio, your symptoms should improve greatly.
- Use of a prescribed brace
- Strengthening and stretching exercises prescribed by your physiotherapist
- Ice
- Avoiding aggravating activities