Despite its name, tennis elbow doesn’t just target tennis players and left untreated it can develop into a very painful condition. Here’s what you need to know about tennis elbow and how to treat it.
What is Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is the inflammation of the tendons that run along the forearm and attach at the elbow. Unsurprisingly, tennis elbow is most common among tennis and other racket sports players. However, it can also affect anyone who does activities or jobs that involve strenuous and repetitive stress on the forearm.
Causes
Tennis elbow is an overuse injury caused by repetitive stress on the tendons and muscles of the forearm. This repetitive motion can cause micro tears along the tendon, which in turn leads to inflammation and pain, especially at the elbow.
Symptoms
As mentioned, tennis elbow is a result of micro tears in the tendon that runs along the outside of the forearm. The result is inflammation and pain especially around the outside of the elbow. Most often, tennis elbow develops gradually with the pain increasingly getting worse. The symptoms worsens with use of the forearm (such as holding a racket).
Treatment
Left untreated, tennis elbow can develop into a chronic injury which can be very difficult to manage. Some of the first things you should do when the early symptoms of tennis elbow appear is to temporarily reduce or stop the activity which is aggravating the condition. Then focus on settling down the inflammation with rest and ice.
Working with a physiotherapist or chiropractor can help treat the injury by addressing tightness and adhesions that have developed in the forearm through various treatment methods, as well as prescribe therapeutic exercises to help rebuild strength to improve resiliency in those muscles.
Finally, if you are an avid tennis player, working with a Kinesiologist or Athletic Therapist would be very beneficial for not only reducing injuries, but also becoming a stronger player in general.
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