What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition characterized by pain and inflammation in the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the outside of the elbow.
The elbow joint is surrounded by muscles that move the elbow, wrist and fingers and therefore tennis elbow often results from repetitive motions of the wrist and forearm, such as gripping, lifting, or repetitive arm movements. Despite its name tennis elbow can happen to anyone and not just tennis players!
Tennis elbow is thought to be a degenerative condition that develops when the tendon (the common extensor tendon) that joins the muscles in your forearm to the upper arm (the humerus) tears and becomes inflamed. If the aggravating activity is continued the tears may worsen and in extreme cases can lead to a rupture to the common extensor tendon.
The condition is most common in people aged between 40 – 50 years old and, depending on the severity, can take anything between two months and two years to fully heal, although 90% are thought to recover within a year.
Treatment for Tennis Elbow
Physiotherapy can be beneficial in the management of tennis elbow and can help:
- Relieve Pain
- Promote Healing
- Restore Function
Of course, everyone is different and therefore every course of treatment is different, but our treatments can include:
- Soft Tissue Massage to help with pain management and mobilisation.
- Hands-on techniques to improve the flexibility, mobility, and function of the elbow joint and surrounding tissues. Manual therapy techniques like joint mobilization, massage, and stretching can aid in reducing muscle tension and promote healing.
- Tailored exercises to strengthen the muscles in the forearm and improve their endurance. These exercises typically involve resistance training and target the muscles that control wrist and finger movements. Strengthening these muscles can help reduce strain on the tendons and improve overall function.
- Shockwave Therapy which is a form of electrotherapy and can be very effective for Tennis Elbow. To read more about Shockwave Therapy please click here.
A full assessment will be carried out by one of our specialist team and the most appropriate course of treatment will be discussed at your appointment.