Tennis Elbow

25 Feb Tennis Elbow

What is tennis elbow? Tennis elbow is a condition that results in elbow pain caused by overuse of the arm, forearm and hand. It can also be caused by injury to the muscles and tendons outside the elbow. Tennis elbow specifically affects the place where the muscles and tendons of the forearm attach to the bony area of the elbow.

It commonly affects people in their dominate hand, and it is suspected that 50% of tennis players will develop tennis elbow sometime during their career. However, tennis players aren’t the only ones who are at risk for tennis elbow. Golfers, baseball players, gardeners, mechanics, assembly line workers, and anyone who does any activity that requires a repetitive motion of the arm is at risk.

You may have tennis elbow if you have:

• slowly increasing pain around the outside of the elbow
• pain that is made worse by shaking your hands or squeezing objects
• pain that is made worse by doing things like opening jars, lifting objects, using a toothbrush, or holding utensils.

Tennis elbow can only be diagnosed by your doctor and is often treated by :

• physical therapy
• forearm bracing
• anti inflammatories
• topical cortisone gels
• cortisone injections

If you have tennis elbow, the goal of your treatment will be to reduce pain, promote healing and decrease stress to the injured elbow. Most of the time, tennis elbow can be eased with rest, ice, and a brace. Few people with this condition will need surgery, but 5% of people who get tennis elbow will need surgery before they can fully heal.

Proper treatment and rehabilitation exercises are important when treating tennis elbow. If you’ve experienced a an elbow injury recently or in the past, call us today to set up an appointment for tennis elbow physical therapy. We can show you ways to strengthen your elbow and protect yourself from future injury.