You don’t have to be a professional tennis player to develop a condition called tennis elbow. In fact, most people who are diagnosed with tennis elbow have never even played tennis! Tennis elbow is the more common name for what is called lateral epicondylitis, a painful injury that affects the elbow, forearm, and wrist. Tennis elbow is most known for a pain on the outside of your elbow that is typically worse after you participate in certain activities or arm movements. The good news is that physiotherapy for tennis elbow can help relieve your pain and even help prevent this type of condition in the future.
What Is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is an overuse or sports injury that affects the tendons that connect your forearm muscles to the elbow joint. When the muscles and tendons in your forearms are overworked or strained due to repetitive motions, it can cause inflammation, pain, and swelling. The band of tissue that can become injured is known as the lateral epicondyle. The tendons in your forearms may become irritated due to repetitive movements and too much pressure and stress on the area.
The popular tennis stroke called the backhand is a common movement that demonstrates how the forearms and elbows can become strained. Common movements in sports and other activities like raising your hand and wrist can put too much pressure on the lateral epicondyle. Some types of jobs can involve repetitive movements that can lead to tennis elbow, like common activities with painting, carpentry, and plumbing. That means tennis elbow can also be classified as a work injury under certain circumstances.
Three Ways to Treat Tennis Elbow
While it is possible that a mild case of tennis elbow may go away on its own, it is not as likely if you plan to keep participating in the sport, activity, or movement that leads to the pain in the first place. A physical therapist can talk to you about at-home therapy options, physiotherapy exercises, and how to improve your technique in the future.
At-Home Therapy
The best thing you can do with an overuse injury is to allow enough time for rest. If you participate in a sport you don’t want to give up, then it is important to take enough time to rest your aggravated muscles and tendons in between. Because tennis elbow is primarily caused by repetitive motions and overuse, you must give your body time to rest and recover. You can also apply ice to your elbow or forearm if any swelling or inflammation occurs. Ice can help reduce swelling and inflammation and also helps with pain management. If you rest for too long, though, your muscles can become stiff, and applying heat can help soothe stiffness and aches.
Physiotherapy Exercise Therapy
When you schedule a physiotherapy session, you will learn about stretches and exercises that can help relieve your elbow pain. Stretches and exercises also strengthen the muscles and tendons that support and stabilize the elbow. Severe pain with tennis elbow can start to affect your daily life and even affect your ability to grip objects without dropping them. Exercise therapy with a physical therapist can help strengthen your arm muscles, increase your flexibility, and improve your mobility. Stronger arm muscles help to support the elbow and wrist joints to better withstand repetitive motions that can end up causing too much pressure. Your physical therapist can also help you learn stretches and exercises to practice when warming up before the activity and cooling down afterward.
Learning Better Techniques
A physical therapist or even a personal trainer can help you develop better technique and skill with a sport like tennis so you can avoid tennis elbow in the future. Poor form and improper technique can cause painful damage to your joints and muscles. For example, a tennis player or swimmer may want to work with a physical therapist or trainer to learn better techniques on how to better support the elbow and forearm muscles and tendons. If your tennis elbow is caused by overuse or repetitive movements on the job, your physical therapist can also discuss how to improve your technique and may even recommend braces or splints for better support.
At AICA Orthopedics, our team of physical therapists provides physiotherapy for athletes who struggle with sports injuries and workers who have been injured on the job. Visit our Tucker location to find out more about how our individualized treatment plans can help you heal from tennis elbow pain.