What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, refers to common elbow injury of racquet sport players or golf players. Tennis elbow is an injury that results from the performance of repetitive motions with the hand and forearm, such as swinging a tennis racket. This repetitive motions can cause inflammation to the muscles of the forearm. Symptoms of tennis elbow include soreness, pain, and weakness of the muscles around the forearm. You must be aware that getting tennis elbow is nothing serious and that people undergo this injury quite often. Treatments of tennis elbow includes rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medication.
Diagnosing tennis eblow.
To diagnosis tennis elbow, a doctor or physical therapy will more often than not test for tenderness on or near the bony knob of the elbow joint. If pain that increases when bending the wrist back, it is very possible that the patient has tennis elbow. Tennis elbow pain also increases when gripping of the hands. Thus, shaking hands may be painful. Lastly, a perception of weakness or chronic muscle fatigue in the forearm muscles is an indicator of tennis elbow.
What are the treatments for tennis elbow?
Treatments for tennis elbow are usually quite simple and passive. One obvious treatment is to avoid the activities that cause forearm pain until the injury heals. Rest will often correct tennis elbow in a matter of weeks. Additionally, the use of ice and anti-inflammatory medications can mitigate tennis elbow pain and encourage healing. Physical therapy and heat therapy may also speed up the healing process. Lastly, upon returning to regular activity, wearing an elbow and forearm brace can prevent recurrence of tennis elbow. Elbow braces help prevent tennis elbow by restricting movement and use of the elbow.
Because treatment of tennis elbow and recovery from tennis elbow can be a long, frustrating process, prevention is the best strategy. For tennis players, several equipment adjustments can help prevent tennis elbow. Players should select a racket midsize racquet head (90 - 105 square inches) and high flexibility (stiffness index lower than 65). Moreover, players should string their racquets with low tension strings and use synthetic nylon or natural gut at the low end of the recommended tension range. The last measure to prevent tennis elbow is to make sure you have the right size tennis grip. Players should be sure that the grip of their racquet grip has the perfect comfort level.
Besides equipment adjustments, tennis players as well as other patients, attempting to prevent tennis elbow can follow several physical activities. Strengthening the muscles of the hand, wrist, and forearm is the best way to prevent tennis elbow. Strengthening these muscles helps reduce strain on the elbow itself. Exercises such as wrist curls and extensions, squeezing a foam ball in with the hand are effective ways to help strengthen the arms and hand.
In addition, there is also an exercise called Cross Fiber Friction Massage that you can do for a couple of minutes a day to mitigate your tennis elbow pain. Check out the video: