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Lateral Elbow Pain

Lateral Elbow Pain. What is it? How can I help myself?. What Is Lateral Elbow Pain?. Commonly known as ‘Tennis Elbow’. This condition causes pain on the outer aspect of the elbow. It affects around 40% of the population at some point. It normally affects the dominant arm.

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Lateral Elbow Pain

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  1. Lateral Elbow Pain What is it? How can I help myself?

  2. What Is Lateral Elbow Pain? Commonly known as ‘Tennis Elbow’. This condition causes pain on the outer aspect of the elbow. It affects around 40% of the population at some point. It normally affects the dominant arm. A third of people can have symptoms that last over 1 year. Symptoms can come on randomly or by overusing the arm or hand with certain activities.

  3. What Causes It? You have a number of muscles that attach at the elbow which allow you to move your hand and wrist. These muscles attach to the bone via a tendon. The tendon attaches to the bone on the outer aspect of the elbow (lateral epicondyle). Through overuse or overload of the tendon (for example when doing a lot of typing, gardening, manual jobs or anything repetitive) the structure of the tendon starts to change. The body attempts to repair the tendon so you may not feel pain initially. Eventually the body will not be able to keep up with the rate of overload and the pain will become noticeable.

  4. The Lateral Elbow Picture Symptoms • Pain on the outer aspect of your elbow • Pain spreading into the forearm • Tender to touch the area • Pain on gripping and lifting • Pain on writing, typing and using a mouse • The movement of your elbow shouldn’t be affected but may still be painful The lateral epicondyle where the tendon attaches.

  5. Treatment A recent review of the evidence around treatment for lateral elbow pain has shown that… • Exercise therapy is most effective at reducing pain and improving function • Orthotics (such as an epiclasp/tape) can be effective in the short term • Acupuncture has shown to have limited effects • Ultrasound has no effect • Steroid injection can reduce pain in the short term but damage the tendon in the long term

  6. Exercises • We have created some easy to follow video clips demonstrating exercises for your elbow • You can find these on a link called “Lateral Elbow pain exercise video” • Key points to remember when exercising: • Find your correct starting position • Only use 50% of your maximum effort • They should be pain free

  7. Other things to try… Try to reduce the load you are placing on the elbow by modifying or stopping the activity that causes pain. An epiclasp (a strap that wraps around the forearm to offload the tendon allowing it to rest) can provide effective short term pain relief. This can be used to allow continuation of work or hobbies. It must not be worn long term and you should not use it as a treatment. Where the epiclasp or tape should be positioned.

  8. Lastly… The tendon can take months to settle and begin to strengthen so persevere with the exercises. If your symptoms worsen or do not improve within 4 weeks or you have any other symptoms such as pins and needles or numbness down the arm into the hand, please speak to your GP or a physiotherapist.

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