Tennis Elbow? C’mon, I Don’t Even Play Tennis!
Tennis Elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis (LE) is an inflammatory condition of the outer part of the elbow that involves the tendons of the ECRB (extensor carpi radialis brevis). For the sake of minimizing confusion, in this blog, “tennis elbow” will be the term used out of the two.
The development of tennis elbow is from through repetitive stress and overloading of the forearm muscles and tendons that attach to the lateral epicondyle (bony bump on the outer elbow). This leads to inflammation and microtears in the tendon, causing painful symptoms in the arm.
Activities That May Cause Tennis Elbow
Playing racquet sports (tennis, badminton or squash) or sports that involve throwing (javelin, shot put)
Using hand tools repeatedly such as painting with a brush or roller
Repetitive hand motions in various professions such as meat cutters, musicians, dentists, and carpenters
Activities that involve fine, repetitive hand and wrist movements (typing or sewing)
Symptoms Of Tennis Elbow
As a result of overuse, tennis elbow symptoms may crepe up slowly. Pain may get worse over weeks and months. Signs of tennis elbow include:
Burning or pain on your outer elbow that may travel to your wrist (may get worse at night time)
Pain when twisting or bending your arm (ie. opening a jar, lifting up a grocery bag)
Stiffness/pain when straightening your arm
Weakened grip when trying to hold items such as grocery bags, pen, a drink bottle etc.
Diagnosis Of Tennis Elbow
Your physiotherapist can usually diagnose tennis elbow from a physical examination, which involves subjective and objective measures that help us understand the nature of your symptoms and its severity.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to provide further clarification regarding tendon health and any arthritic changes in your neck/disc that may be causing your arm pain. An MRI is rarely required, therefore discuss with your treating practitioner if you need one or not.
Treatment Of Tennis Elbow
Physiotherapy is a form of rehabilitation that combines exercise and techniques to help you reduce pain, increase strength and mobility, and promote healing. Throughout your rehab, your Physio in Merrylands can help you with:
Pain management: To reduce pain caused by tennis elbow, your Physiotherapist may use techniques such as manual therapy (soft tissue massage, dry needling and cupping therapy), ultrasound therapy or ice/heat therapy.
Load management: Throughout your rehab, your Physiotherapist may prescribe specific strength and conditioning exercises depending on your severity. This is one of the key aspects of Physiotherapy, as we help optimize your load tolerance through graded exposure to exercises and minimise nasty flare ups.
Mobility: Mobility is important as it helps reduce pain and improve movement. Your Physio will show you the correct techniques of how to stretch your forearm.
Education: Along with treatment, your Physiotherapist will aim to provide important information on tennis elbow, including how to properly use the affected arm and how to avoid future flare ups. Your Physiotherapist will work together with you and provide advice on posture, ergonomics, and other lifestyle modifications that can prevent tennis elbow from recurring.
Hope this helps,
Tony - Physio Solutions Merrylands
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Resources:
Ma, K., Wang, H. (2020). Management of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Narrative Literature Review.
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7222600/
Buchanan, B., Varacallo, M. (2023). Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow).
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431092/
Norton, H., Etc. (2023). Lateral Epicondtlitis.
Retrieved from:
Lucado, A., Vincent, J., Fedorczyk, J., Dewitt, J., Dauber, J., Beattie, P. (2022). Lateral Elbow Pain and Muscle Function Impairments.
Retrieved from: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2022.0302
