Tennis elbow or Golfer's elbow is a pain that occurs in the outer or the
inner bone of the elbow. The damaged part in tennis elbow or golfer's elbow
however, is not the elbow bone but a tendon or tissue that connects the bone
structures of forearm and upper arm. It is suffered by not just the tennis
players but golfers, squash players, swimmers, other athletes and non-athletes.
This tendon called the common extensor tendon is responsible for carrying out
complicated and delicate motions of wrists, hands or the forearm. Damage to the
common extensor tendon produces pain in the outer bone of the elbow called the
lateral epicondyle. That is the reason tennis elbow is also called lateral
Epicondylitis. Golfer's elbow, on the other hand, is the pain in the inner side
of the elbow bone.
Tennis elbow pain is an overuse, overloads injury, and is usually caused by
repeated movements that require twisting of wrists, hands or the forearm.
Though anyone can get tennis elbow injury, the age group most effected by is
between 35 to 55. A severe case of tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow may take
months to recover while a mild case will take only a couple of weeks.
Tennis Elbow Causes:
As we know, tennis elbow pain occurs in the outer elbow bone due to stress or
damage to a connective tissue called the Common Extensor Tendon. Stress of
repeated twisting movements or overuse causes small tears in the tendon. If the
tendon is not allowed to heal, tears can become bigger or turn into ruptures.
Following are some of the activities that may cause tennis elbow or golfer’s
elbow pain:
- Professions requiring hands-on physical work such as construction, plumbing
and other activities that require repeated twisting motions of the hand, wrist
or forearm;
- Sports that involve racquet-wielding and ball-throwing including golf and
tennis;
- Computer hardware professionals;
- Weak or damaged arm muscles may cause tears in the tendon;
- An accident or sudden impact may damage or rupture the tendon;
Symptom of Tennis Elbow:
- Pain and tenderness in the forearm, especially outside of the elbow (Tennis
elbow) and inside of the elbow (Golfer’s elbow);
- Pain and stiffness of muscles in the forearm, upper arm, shoulder or neck;
- Pain inset is gradual and may go away with rest but if the same activity is
repeated, the pain reoccurs and the condition becomes worse;
- Experiencing pain with handshake or simple movements such as moving door
handles;
- Stiffness of arm in the mornings.
If you have severe pain in your elbow, arm or shoulder, please contact your
therapist. In case of mild elbow pain, follow an informed recovery program.
Tennis Elbow Treatment:
Ice Pack
The most effective treatment for tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow pain is to ice
it. Use an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas to apply on the effected area for
20 minutes at a time, at least six times a day, for two days. It is important
to determine the duration of icing the injury according to your own physical
condition, level of injury and your body's response to ice. Some people may
experience redness, rashness or burning/tingling sensations during or after
icing. Remove ice if there is any agitation in the affected area, applies for
as long as comfortable, repeat more often.
Activity Modification
Both tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow injuries occur due to overload or overuse
of wrist, hand or forearm, and so activity modification is a crucial component
of recovery. Change the activity that caused the injury, or modify it. In case
of severe pain, discontinue related activity and apply tennis elbow treatments
to begin the recovery process.
Massage therapy
Massage therapy can be a highly effective treatment for tennis elbow and
golfer’s elbow. Special massage therapy techniques allow tendons, tissue and
muscles in the hand, wrist, forearm, upper arm, shoulder and neck, to become
flexible, cleansed, lengthened and strong.
Massage therapy is a wonderful tennis and golfer elbow injury prevention,
as well as treatment.
Prevention
Find ways to not overuse and overload your elbow, wrist and hand muscles. For
example:
-
Allocate more time for warming up and warming down
-
Add exercises to loosen elbow, wrist, hand, shoulder and neck muscles
-
Modify activities that cause tennis elbow and golfer elbow pain or injury
-
Assure sufficient recovery time after injury
Wellness Tip from Mark Bentz
Tennis/golfer’s elbow is a misuse or over-use injury. Use this simple
Tai Chi routine to keep wrists, hands, elbow and shoulders in top shape:
1. Stand in a comfortable position on an even surface, your arms hanging at
your sides.
2. Straighten your back and allow the back muscles to relax.
3. Stretch your arms as high as your shoulders, and take them as far as they
comfortably reach.
4. Imagine there is a wall that you are going to paint with your hands.
5. Place both your hands on the surface of the wall.
6. Slide them straight down the surface, bending your knees.
7. Reach as low as you can without letting your palms leave the flat surface of
the wall.
8. Go back up, dropping your hand to reach the original position.
9. Repeat 10 times, do as often as you like.
Please keep in mind:
- This exercise needs to be done slowly and without any jerks.
- For full benefit, breathe in or inhale when going up, breathe out or exhale
when going down.
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