Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)

Tennis Elbow is a condition that affects the wrist extensor tendons on the outside of the elbow normally associated with either overuse or direct trauma. Despite the name this condition is mostly associated within work related environments where repetitive stress takes place

Symptoms

You may noticed pain:

• On the outside of your elbow
• When lifting or bending your arm
• When gripping small objects, such as a pen
• When twisting your forearm, such as turning a door handle or opening a jar

Causes

The elbow joint is surrounded by muscles that move your elbow, wrist and fingers.
The tendons in your elbow join the bones and muscles together, and control the muscles of your forearm.
Tennis elbow is usually caused by overusing the muscles attached to your elbow and used to straighten your wrist.
If the muscles and tendons are strained, tiny tears and inflammation can develop near the bony lump (the lateral epicondyle) on the outside of your elbow.

Treating Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is a self-limiting condition, which means it will eventually get better without treatment.
However, there are treatments that can be used to improve your symptoms and speed up your recovery.
It’s important that you rest your injured arm and stop doing the activity that’s causing the problem.
Using ice therapy and taking ibuprofen can initially help with the inflammation and symptoms.
Manual therapy and stretches is very beneficial to help to loosen the muscles of the forearm causing the stress on the tendon.
It’s important to use strengthening exercises to help prevent further flare ups.