Are You Suffering From Tennis Elbow?
Watch this video to learn how it forms.
What Causes Tennis Elbow?
Most of the muscles that extend down your wrist are attached to a bony bump on the outside of your elbow that is known as the lateral epicondyle.
Sometimes, either by injury or overuse, the site where these muscles insert can start to become either irritated or inflamed. This condition is known as lateral epicondylitis or "tennis elbow"- although the majority of those affected do not have to play tennis.
Activities That Create Or Aggravate Tennis Elbow.
The most common way for this condition to be created is from an activity that is involving repetitive wrist extension.
Some examples of this include tennis, pickleball, carpentry, bricklaying, knitting, playing piano, typing, or lifting objects with your palm facing down. The condition is much more likely to strike your dominant arm.
The pain will typically begin as an intermittent or gradual discomfort during activity and then it progresses so that even simple activities, like holding a coffee cup, can become painful. Pain may in some cases increase when you straighten your arm, grip a doorknob or shake hands. The pain can also vary from mild to severe and commonly radiates into the forearm, sometimes to the wrist.
How Do We Treat Tennis Elbow?
Without any treatment, "tennis elbow" will often linger - 80% of patients still report pain after one year.
Braces, medication, sports creams, heat and ice offer temporary relief, but tennis elbow pain will almost always return when resuming activity.
In most cases, the first step in a successful treatment plan is to modify activities that are aggravating these symptoms. Then a series of treatment to reduce the inflammation, stabilize and strengthen the shoulder, elbow and wrist will help get you from the sidelines to the finish line.
Always remember to be be patient with your recovery!
