Tennis Elbow - Ouch!

Tennis Elbow & How To Treat It

First point to make is that “Tennis Elbow” is the most common upper body repetitive strain. Now this could only be true if everyone played tennis, OR if "Tennis Elbow" is usually caused by other things. Some common causes of "Tennis Elbow" include: using a hammer, painting a wall, doing yoga exercises, or working in your garden.

"Tennis Elbow" is when you feel pain in the elbow or sometimes forearm, on the side furthest from your body when your arm is at your side. (Incidentally, if you have pain on the side of your elbow closer to your body, it is “Golfer’s Elbow,” but the following suggestions will be applicable). The pain is caused by repetitive movements of the elbow while supporting a weight like a racket or from lifting heavy things that require lots of stabilization of the wrist and/or elbow. Basically, "Tennis Elbow" is tendonitis - an inflammation of the area that the muscle turns into tendon and joins the bone.

What you need to do to recover from "Tennis Elbow" will depend on how severe it is. A good starting point is to put ice on the affected area for 12-15 minutes at least twice a day. If you know what caused the pain, try reducing how often, how long or how intensely you are doing that activity until you recover. If the pain is relatively mild, you can continue the activity in this manner. If it is more severe, you may need to avoid it for a while. There are straps that you can get to put on the forearm to reduce pressure on the painful area to help your recovery. Also, hands on treatment of the area and specific stretches helps to speed recovery. If it is very painful, Laser Therapy treatment can help kickstart the healing process.

Whether you’re out to play pickle ball or work in the yard, remember to mind your elbow, too.

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