Tennis Elbow: Symptoms, Treatment and Exercises

1. Tennis Elbow: Symptoms, Treatment and Exercises Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition when you have pain in the outer part of the elbow. Your elbow area becomes sore and tender and the muscles and tendons surrounding forearm get damaged due to repetitive overuse. You notice elbow pain when lifting or bending your arm, gripping small objects, or twisting your forearm. Who gets tennis elbow? Tennis elbow doesn’t just affect tennis players. Though tennis elbow is a common among tennis players, but anyone can develop this condition. Tennis elbow affects up to 3% of the global population, generally adults between 30-50 years of age. If you are into activities that involve repetitive arm motion, such as tree-cutting, painting, playing some musical instruments, and carpentry. Causes of tennis elbow 1.Overuse: Some research studies have found that tennis elbow is often due to damage in the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) muscle. When this muscle is weakened from overuse, tears occur in the tendon that attaches to the lateral epicondyle. 2.Activities: Tennis sport is one physical activity that results in this musculoskeletal condition, but other recreational activities that require vigorous use of your forearm muscle can also result in the development of tennis elbow. 3.Age: Most people get tennis elbow between the ages of 30 and 50. However, tennis players are great of developing it if they follow improper stroke techniques. Treatment and exercises for tennis elbow Many people with mild pain around elbow region find that their pain eases with proper rest. If you have a chronic pain around elbow area, you need to consult your doctor and visit physiotherapy clinic. Your doctor will use a variety of tests to examine the cause of your problem. Other than physical symptoms, your physician will recommend x-ray, MRI scan or EMG to find out the exact cause of tennis elbow. There are many treatment options for tennis elbow, but it involves a team approach. Your doctor, physical therapist, and self-help treatment & exercise would together help you get rid of elbow pain. Specific exercises such as Forearm Extensor Stretch, Tricep Stretch, Ball Squeeze Exercise, and Supination with a Dumbbell are quite helpful in easing the pain around elbow area. Professionals of physical therapy clinic can better prescribe you exercise to recover from tennis elbow. If your symptoms do not respond to non-surgical treatments and routine exercise, then your doctor may also recommend surgery - arthroscopic surgery and open surgery. If you undergo surgical treatment for tennis elbow, do visit your physical therapy clinic for better recovery and to get back to your training regime successfully.