tip of the month
August 2011
A hard days labour, getting out in the garden, using a computer often, knitting for the grandchildren, lots of cleaning....... These are a few of the common ways people develop tennis elbow, or if we use its technical name ‘lateral epicondylitis’.
Lateral epicondylitis refers to pain and inflammation on the outside of the elbow joint (lateral epicondyle) and into the forearm. It is commonly termed tennis elbow as it is a condition which frequently affects tennis players due to over use of their forearm muscles.
There are over 10 muscles in our forearm which insert either close to, or on the outside of the elbow. The bony point on the outside of the elbow is known as the lateral epicondyle. With all these muscles inserting at the same point, a lot of force can be generated. If you are over using the muscles, or performing repetitive tasks, the pull through the tendon and into the bone becomes too great and causes inflammation. Once this inflammation develops it takes a long time to heal and as is the case with repetitive injuries; this healing time does not happen. The tendons in our bodies have a very poor blood supply, they are white to look at rather than a muscle which is red and therefore has excellent blood supply and therefore heals quickly.
True tennis elbow is an over use injury. This means the symptoms gradually appear. You may start to notice a bit of pain after a hard days work or session in the garden. This starts to happen everyday, and then progresses to pain throughout the day. It may then progress to pain with any tasks involving gripping or lifting. In the worst cases it can keep you awake at night!!
You may also get tennis elbow symptoms from a one off incident. This is usually from gardening, digging or a hard knock directly on the outside of your elbow. This is painful at the time of the activity and the pain will usually worsen over the next few days. It is due to inflammation in the area due to the muscles constantly pulling on the one spot, and not allowing adequate blood flow to heal.
The main symptoms of tennis elbow are pain with gripping, lifting or carrying things in your hand. It is painful to bring your wrist backwards as this is the action the muscles perform. Your elbow will be very tender to touch on the outside bone, and pain may travel down your forearm. There may be swelling in the outside of the elbow and some redness from the inflammation.
Treatment can include anti-inflammatories and pain relief medication, ice should be applied and you should rest from the activity. Physiotherapy can help with massage, stretching exercises and specific exercises to strengthen the muscles of the forearm. Studies have shown that eccentric exercises are the best way to rehabilitate the elbow, and prevent the reoccurrence of the condition.
A brace may also help to support the area. Correct tennis elbow braces should be worn just under the crease of the elbow. They allow the area where the tendon inserts into the bone to heal and rest rather than constantly being aggravated. A general full covering elbow support will not help
Tennis elbow can take a long time to heal and can be very frustrating for the person suffering from it. Your neck can also affect the nerves that pass through the elbow and add to the problem. If you are suffering from Tennis elbow it is best to have a consultation and learn the correct things to do to help, because it is one of those conditions that will continue to get worse if left.