Tennis Elbow
Tennis Elbow
What Is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is a condition that produces severe, burning pain over the bone at the side of the elbow. The medical term for tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis. The pain results from inflammation of the tendon that attaches muscle to the bony projection (called the epicondyle) on the outside of the elbow.
Symptoms Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow usually begins with mild pain and can worsen over time. The pain is worsened by pressing on the affected area, by lifting objects particularly with extension of the wrist. Using a screwdriver can worsen the injury and cause pain. In advanced cases, even simple movements of the elbow joint can produce pain.
Suggestions For Managing Tennis Elbow
Treatment goals include pain relief and prevention of symptom recurrence. Initial treatments may include application of ice packs to the elbow and use of anti-inflammatory medications (such as ibuprofen) for pain relief. Later, braces or wrist splints may be recommended along with range of motion exercises and other forms of physical therapy, such as osteopathy, myotherapy and remedial massage for tightness in the wrist extensors.
Corticosteroid injections in the elbow area can be beneficial in more serious cases of tennis elbow. When performing activities that put the elbow at risk, a tennis elbow strap can often be helpful to prevent re-injury.
Your practitioner at Premier Health Partners is trained to determine the most appropriate form of treatment that is tailored specifically for you.
Tennis Elbow Treatment Options
Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a “whole body” system of manual therapy which uses a range of techniques to manage musculo-skeletal disorders and other functional disorders of the body. This form of treatment was developed in America in the 1870s by Dr Andrew Taylor Still and has progressed in development to be widely scientifically validated and utilised around the world.
Myotherapy
Myotherapy is the evidence based assessment, management and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain and associated conditions. Myotherapy targets the soft tissue of the body, namely muscle groups and connective tissue (myofascia), to help reduce pain, improve muscle function and increase joint range of motion. They also provide education on a range of postural complaints, functional movement and corrective exercise.
