Tennis Elbow Treatment

Tennis Elbow Injury Signs and Symptoms?

Tennis elbow is a common term for a condition caused by overuse of arm, forearm, and hand muscles those results in elbow pain. You don't have to play tennis to get this, but the term came into use because it can be a significant problem for some tennis players.

Tennis elbow is caused by either abrupt or subtle injury of the muscle and tendon area around the outside of the elbow. Tennis elbow specifically involves the area where the muscles and tendons of the forearm attach to the outside bony area (called the lateral epicondyle) of the elbow. Your doctor may call this condition lateral epicondylitis. Another common term, "golfer's elbow," refers to the same process occurring on the inside of the elbow - what your doctor may call medial epicondylitis. Overuse injury can also affect the back or posterior part of the elbow as well.

Tennis elbow most commonly affects people in their dominant arm (that is, a right-handed person would experience pain in the right arm), but it can also occur in the nondominant arm or both arms.

When ligament tissue is examined under the microscope (see diagram) it can be clearly observed that the collagen fibres are arranged in a longitudinal pattern to resist the stress that is placed upon the ligament. The arrangement of the collagen fibres means that a great deal of force is required to damage ligaments. In a collision sport like football this force is generated by opposition players or when a player catches his foot in the turf and his whole body weight goes over one joint. This force produces structural damage to the joint capsule and ligaments, which is known as a ligament sprain.

• Pain in the outer part of the elbow (lateral epicondyle)
• Point tenderness over the lateral epicondyle-a prominent part of the bone on the outside of the elbow
• Pain from gripping and movements of the wrist, especially wrist extension[citation needed] and lifting movements
• Pain from activities that use the muscles that extend[citation needed] the wrist (e.g. pouring a container of liquid, lifting with the palm down, sweeping, especially where wrist movement is required)
• Morning stiffness

Tennis Elbow Injury Treatment

The good news about treatment is that usually tennis elbow will heal on its own. You just need to give your elbow a rest and do what you can to speed up the healing. Types of treatment that help are:

• Icing the elbow to reduce pain and swelling. Applying ice directly to the skin can cause burns just like heat can so take care to wrap the ice well in a towel first. Experts recommend doing this for 20-30 minutes every three to four hours, for two to three days, or until the pain is gone.
• Using an elbow strap to protect the injured tendon from further strain.
• Taking painkillers such as paracetamol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and aspirin to help with pain and swelling. However, NASIDs can cause side effects such as stomach irritation so you should only use them as short courses, guided by your GP or specialist.
• Performing a range of motion exercises to reduce stiffness and increase flexibility. Your doctor may recommend that you do these three to five times a day.
• Having physiotherapy to strengthen and stretch the muscles.
• Having injections of steroids or painkillers to temporarily ease some of the swelling and pain around the joint.
• Shock wave therapy to help promote movement and relieve pain may sometimes be recommended.
• Other therapies: acupuncture may help to relieve the pain.