Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a painful condition affecting the elbow joint, making everyday activities difficult. It’s not limited to athletes; anyone can experience it. Around 1-3% of adults in Australia deal with it each year, with a higher likelihood in the arm used more frequently. It’s not solely linked to tennis; individuals involved in repetitive gripping or lifting tasks are also susceptible. Seeking proper assistance is crucial, as even half of all tennis players may encounter symptoms. This emphasizes the significance of addressing tennis elbow beyond sports, including jobs that involve frequent arm movements. Understanding and treating tennis elbow correctly are essential to provide relief to those affected.
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Causes and Risk Factors of Tennis Elbow
Tennis Elbow often develops due to the overuse of muscles in the forearm, repetitive gripping, and activities requiring forceful wrist extension. Occupations involving manual labor and hobbies such as gardening and racket sports are significant risk factors (Karjalainen et al., 2023). To reduce these risks, individuals can:
- Modify activities to decrease force and repetition (Coombes et al., 2023).
- Set up workstations ergonomically to prevent awkward movements.
- Select tools and sports equipment that match their body size, grip width, and strength to minimize strain on elbow tendons (Karjalainen et al., 2023).
- Participate in exercises designed to strengthen forearm muscles and enhance flexibility (Karjalainen et al., 2023).
- Learn and implement proper techniques in both sports and work-related activities (Karjalainen et al., 2023).
Recognising the Signs of Tennis Elbow
Tennis Elbow is identified by pain and tenderness on the outer side of the elbow, caused by changes in the tendon where the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle originates. It’s crucial to differentiate these symptoms from similar elbow conditions, even though they may share some characteristics with lateral epicondylalgia (Johns, N., & Shridhar, V., 2020).
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These conditions include:
Entrapment syndromes like radial tunnel syndrome, which can resemble Tennis Elbow but typically cause pain lower than the lateral epicondyle, without tenderness directly on the lateral epicondyle.
Cervical radiculopathy may lead to elbow pain, but it’s usually accompanied by neck pain and neurological symptoms like arm numbness or tingling.
Bony issues like arthritis might cause elbow pain but are identified by joint stiffness and visible changes on X-rays.
Inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis often affect multiple joints and come with systemic symptoms, unlike the localized pain seen in Tennis Elbow.
These conditions are discerned from Tennis Elbow through a thorough clinical history, physical examination, and, if necessary, imaging or electrodiagnostic tests (Shiri et al., 2006). Incorrect diagnosis could delay appropriate treatment, so it’s crucial to consult a healthcare professional for an accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment plan (Karjalainen et al., 2023).
Prevention Strategies for Tennis Elbow
To keep Tennis Elbow away, it’s important to do some things every day that have been proven to help. Karanasios and others (2021) have found five great ways to stop Tennis Elbow from happening:
Use the Right Moves: When you’re doing things like holding onto stuff or moving your wrist, doing it the right way can help your elbow. This means holding things like sports equipment the right way and using tools that fit your hands well.
Take Breaks: It’s important to give your body some time to rest and recover. Taking breaks during activities can help your elbow not get tired out from doing the same thing too much.
Get Stronger: Doing special exercises that make your arm and upper body muscles stronger can also help. These exercises can include things like moving your wrist up and down, bending your arm, and stretching your wrist muscles.
Stretch It Out: Stretching your arm muscles regularly can make them more flexible and less likely to get tense. Stretching exercises that focus on your wrist muscles can be really helpful.
Use the Right Gear: If you’re playing sports, using the right equipment can make a big difference. Things like sports equipment with special handles or the right tightness can lower your risk of getting Tennis Elbow.
These ideas come from knowing how Tennis Elbow happens and what makes it worse, which is something a doctor can help with.
Treatment of Tennis Elbow
The treatment for tennis elbow usually starts without surgery, and one of the main ways to help is through physiotherapy. Physiotherapy uses exercises and hands-on therapy to help with the pain and improve function.
Hands-on therapy, like massage and releasing trigger points, can really help reduce the pain of tennis elbow. Moving the elbow in certain ways, called elbow mobilization, has also been shown to make it hurt less and work better.
Doing specific exercises to load the tendon is really important for treating tennis elbow without surgery. These exercises help make the tendon stronger so it can handle more strain. There’s a special program that includes different kinds of exercises, starting from holding positions still, then moving through a range, and finally doing exercises that mimic the movements in certain sports. This program is tailored to each person, considering their specific diagnosis, how bad the tendon is, and how well they can move.
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Restoring Functionality
In the journey to help people with Tennis Elbow get better, physiotherapy uses a mix of exercises, hands-on therapy, and teaching the muscles and nerves how to work together better.
Therapeutic exercises are exercises made specifically to make the muscles around the elbow stronger and more flexible. These exercises start easy and get harder over time, and they’re proven to help lessen the pain and make the grip stronger.
Hands-on therapy, like gently massaging the muscles and moving the joints in certain ways, can also help. It eases the tension in the muscles and gets more blood flowing to the sore area, which helps it heal.
Neuromuscular re-education is like teaching the muscles and nerves to work together better. It helps fix any wrong ways the muscles move that might have caused Tennis Elbow in the first place. This helps make the elbow and wrist movements steadier and more efficient.