08 Jan Tennis Elbow: causes, symptoms & treatment
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylalgia medically, is a common overuse injury that causes pain on the outer part of the elbow.
While it’s associated with tennis players, it can affect anyone who repeatedly uses their arm for activities like sports, typing, or manual labor. This condition occurs when the tendons in the forearm become strained or overused from repetitive motion.
Muscles and tendons
In our hands, tendons attach to both muscles and bone, linking both structures together, allowing us to create movement with our body. Tendons are strong and resilient, but as it has reduced blood supplies compared to bones and muscles, it’s prone to repetitive stress injuries.
Causes and risk factors
Tennis elbow has many causes, but it is usually caused by repeated motion of the arm. Activities like gripping, lifting, or twisting can lead to inflammation in these tendons, especially when done excessively.
Tennis elbow symptoms
Patients suffering from lateral epicondylalgia may experience pain on the outside of their elbow, which may radiate down the forearm all the way to the wrist. The pain often aggravates with activities like gripping, lifting, or twisting of the wrist. Additional symptoms include:
- weak grip strength
- reduced elbow range of motion
- painful wrist movements
- and sometimes swelling around the elbow joint.
If you suspect you might be suffering from tennis elbow, please get a doctor or hand therapist to help diagnose and treat your injuries.
Tennis elbow treatment options
Fortunately, tennis elbow has a very good treatment outcome, it could be treated in several ways:
- Offloading overused structures: Avoiding activities that worsens your symptoms. Modifying your tasks, taking a break from sports or adjusting your workload can help reduce stress on the tendon.
- Bracing, taping and splinting: An elbow strap or hand splint can relieve pressure on the tendon, providing comfort during aggravating activities.
- Rehabilitation and strengthening: Once the muscles are sufficiently offloaded, we would gradually introduce some gentle exercises to improve your strength, to avoid any future flare ups.
- Injections: If the above-mentioned strategies do not improve your symptoms after 6-12 weeks of therapy. You may want to discuss with your doctor about the possibilities of injection therapy.
Prevention tips
To reduce the risk of tennis elbow, use proper technique during physical activities, strengthen your forearm and shoulder muscles, take regular breaks if your work involves repetitive motions, and consider ergonomic tools to lessen strain on your upper limb.
While tennis elbow can be painful and limiting, most people recover with proper treatment. Early intervention is crucial to avoid long-term damage, so if you’re experiencing symptoms, consult your hand therapist or healthcare provider to get back to your normal routine as soon as possible.
If you are experiencing finger, hand, elbow, shoulder or wrist pain, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to help you.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
For more information, call us directly on 03 9458 5166
