Now, you may think that just because you’re not a tennis player, you’re immune to tennis elbow. Well, you’d be wrong. Tennis elbow is a common injury shared amongst the sports and fitness community and can affect both men and women.
In this article, we’re going to be looking into tennis elbow injury, what causes it and what you can do to treat it and in the end, prevent it. As we all know, there’s nothing worse than an injury stopping you from being fit and active. Especially if there are measures you can take to prevent it from happening.
What Is Tennis Elbow?
According to the NHS, tennis elbow is known medically as ‘lateral epicondylitis’ and it is a pain around the outside of the elbow. The main reason why you may get tennis elbow is because of repetitive overuse of the muscles & tendons in your forearm, close to the elbow joint.
When your forearm muscles extend, so do your wrists and fingers. The extensor carpi radialis brevis is the tendon that is usually damaged during an episode of tennis elbow. The tendons are what keep the muscles attached to the bone which may deteriorate with excessive use, causing tennis elbow.
As you could probably guess from the name, tennis players are most likely to get the condition. However, it is not just limited to tennis and can be attributed to other racquet sports such as squash or racquetball.
It’s also not limited to sports, professions such as tree surgeons, cooks, plumbers, mechanic & assembly line works are also at increased risk due to the dependency of their forearm to work.
Tennis Elbow Symptoms
When you have tennis elbow, you may notice pain and tenderness on the outside of your elbow whilst also having pain in your forearm and behind your hand. The pain of the tennis elbow can also range from barely any pain to extreme pain which even when your elbow is still, you’re still in excruciating pain.
Other pains include pain in the area around the upper forearm and below the bend of the elbow, pain when lifting or bending your arm, gripping objects and twisting your arms such as when you open a door or un/screw something.
These pains can persist between 6 months and 2 years, although typically, most people will recover within one calendar year.
Tennis Elbow Treatment
The good news is that tennis elbow is a self-limiting injury. Which means that it is possible to fade away without treatment. Once the pain has subsidised you should consider alternative methods to how you do things such as lifting etc.
The primary method of treatment is ice, ice and more ice. Using ice 2-3 times a day as well as just after a workout decreases the inflammation of the muscles and tendons. Although, we recommend not doing any exercise that includes the upper body (especially arms) as you may aggravate the injury more.
Over the counter, anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen and aspirin can help you with the pain temporarily and you may feel even good enough to lift, although we don’t recommend it.
Although sometimes, tennis elbow keeps coming back and you may think you need to see a doctor, if so, keep reading…
SEEING A DOCTOR ABOUT TENNIS ELBOW
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) has multiple treatment options, whether it just be a strain injury, tiny tear or repetitive motions that have caused chronic pain.
The first thing you should do is to first see a physio/doctor as they are able to diagnose the problem more accurately. This is very important because the quicker you see the right person, the quicker you get the treatment needed and less likely the tennis elbow will develop into chronic pain.
TENNIS ELBOW PHYSIOTHERAPY
Your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist to get some physical therapy. Physiotherapists are health professionals, they will use a variety of different methods to help restore movement and strength to your elbow. Physiotherapists use methods such as massage and manipulation to relieve the pain and stiffness to your arm and let blood flow freely and the elbow move unhinged.
A physiotherapist may make use of an orthosis. An orthosis is an external piece of equipment that is placed above the injured area. Which in tennis elbow cases, maybe a brace, support bandage or even a splint.
TENNIS ELBOW STEROID INJECTIONS
Patients with tennis elbow that hasn’t yet healed may be offered steroid injections (corticosteroid injections) which are human-made versions of the hormone ‘cortisol’. Steroid injections are typically used in patients who have painful musculoskeletal problems and they can considerably improve the pain you feel in the elbow. This injection will be made directly into the area of the elbow which is causing you pain, this is painful in itself so you may first get a general anaesthetic to numb the area and reduce the initial amount of pain.
It is important to note that steroid injections only provide short term relief and their long-term effectiveness has shown to be under-satisfactory. You can be offered up to 3 injections in the same area, however, they need to have a period of 3-6 months between them minimum.
SHOCK WAVE THERAPY
Shockwave therapy can also be used to treat tennis elbow. Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment where energy shockwaves are placed on through your skin to promote movement and help build strength back up in your arm.
How many sessions you will need depends on the severity of your pain. You may have a local anaesthetic to reduce any pain or discomfort during the procedure.
PLATELET-RICH PLASMA
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a newer, modern treatment that is offered by surgeons to treat tennis elbow. PRP is your blood plasma which contains the concentrated platelets your body uses when it wants to repair damaged tissue. PRP has been shown to speed up the healing process of tennis elbow, but since it is new the long-term effects are currently unknown.
The PRP process takes about 15 minutes, the surgeon will inject your affected joints with healing platelets which have been sampled from your blood and put into a machine.
TENNIS ELBOW SURGERY
Surgery may be recommended as a last resort treatment in cases where tennis elbow is causing severe and persistent pain. The damaged part of the tendon will be removed to relieve the painful symptoms. An MRI scan may be used to determine whether you need one or not.
How To Prevent Tennis Elbow In The Future
Simply, not putting a massive amount of strain on the tendons of your elbow will prevent you from getting the condition again, but we know that’s not always possible.
Healthline has listed some advice below on how to combat tennis elbow and keep yourself fit and working towards those gains.
- Find an alternate way to do the exercise you’re doing, as you may have a poor form or not enough strength to do it properly. Ask a personal trainer for some help if you’re having difficulty.
- Use your muscles in your shoulder and upper arm as they’re larger and can take more weight and strain, avoid using your wrist and elbow when possible.
- Warm-up properly and stretch the elbow properly to ensure it isn’t tight and prone to more injury.
- Wear some support such as a splint when you are using your arm. You can take it off when you rest or sleep to prevent damage to the tendons. Your physio will be the best person to give you the best advice based on your injury.
- Increase the strength of your muscles in your forearm, ask a physiotherapist or personal trainer for more details.
What Products Can I Use To Minimise Tennis Elbow?
Here at SS Healthfoods, we have plenty of options that help you minimise the risk of developing tennis elbow and promote healthy joints.
Labrada Elasti-Joint is a powerful joint-support supplement designed to help maintain healthy joint function, elasticity, and flexibility. ElastiJoint’s active ingredients are the building blocks required to strengthen and rebuild joints, much like amino acids help the body rebuild muscle tissue. Ingredients in Labrada ElastiJoint have been proven to work.
Swanson Full Spectrum Herbal Joint Care 60 caps contain the herb, ‘Ayurvedic’ which is known as an extremely popular herb for joint health. The whole product is a whole-herb powder with no processing or solvents. The leading Ayurvedic joint herb Boswellia comes together with South American cat’s claw, North American white willow bark and tart cherry in our Full Spectrum Herbal Joint Care formula, a complete herbal joint health supplements.
