WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TENNIS ELBOW

Tennis elbow is a condition that causes pain around the outside of the elbow. It is clinically know as lateral epicondylitis.

It can occur as a result of overuse of the muscles attached to your elbow and bends your wrist backwards, from repetitive action of the forearm and wrist. Strain of the muscles can cause tiny tears and swellings to develop at the outer part of the elbow.

Just as the name suggests, it is usually common among tennis players. However, it can occur in people who engage in activities that involves repetitive movement of the forearm and puts stress on the elbow and the tendons around it such as; painters.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SYMPTOMS OF TENNIS ELBOW

• Pain on the outside of the elbow that may go down the forearm
• Pain/ weakness in bending or extending your arm
• Pain or weakness in gripping small objects
• Pain or weakness in twisting the forearm e.g. turning a door knob.

These are some factors that can increase your risk of developing tennis elbow:

• Age: Adults between the 30 – 50 years of age are more predisposed to getting tennis elbow.
• Occupation: People whose jobs involves repetitive movement of the wrist arm and wrist for example Carpenter and painters.
• Racquet sports: Engaging in racquet sports, especially with the use of poor stroke technique increases your risk of developing tennis elbow.

Here is how to prevent developing tennis elbow:

• Adequately warm-up before using your arms for sports or other activities that require repetitive movement.
• Avoiding repetitive movements of the arms.
• Ensure you use equipment that is right for you and proper techniques when engaging in racquet sports.
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What to Know About Some self-care measures in managing tennis elbow:

• Rest: Stop all activities that aggravate your elbow pain.
• Ice: Apply an ice pack for about 20 minutes twice daily (morning and evening) to reduce inflammation.
• Technique: Ensure that you are using the right tool or equipment and use proper technique for your activities.
• Brace: You can wear this when carrying out activities that require repetitive movement of the arm to provide additional support to the elbow.

Treatment of tennis elbow includes: activity modification, ice, medicine, stretching, braces and injections. Surgery is rarely used to treat tennis elbow Treatment of tennis elbow includes: stretching, braces and injections.

If pain does not subside or get worse and prevents you from carrying your daily activities, you can call or visit us:

Phone No: +234 811 885 6060 || +234 909 860 4470

Effective Physiotherapy Clinic
Address: No. 2 Ajumgobia Close, Kado Estate, Abuja
Call: +23480 3436 5055 | +234 909 860 4470