Tennis Elbow
What is Tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow is also known as Lateral Epicondylitis. Your Lateral Epicondyle is a bony point on the outside of your elbow where your wrist extensor muscles attach to. These muscles enable you to lift your wrist and assist with grip. Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow) is inflammation of this area when these muscles are repetitively overused.
What can cause tennis elbow?
Repetitive or explosive demand on the muscle-tendon is the main cause of tennis elbow.
Performing strenuous or exaggerated movements with a known degenerative tendon.
Repetitive motions in which the wrist frequently deviates from a neutral position (i.e. not held straight).
The regular handling of loads over 20 kg.
Non-conditioning or weakness of the muscles/tendons to be able to perform all of the above tasks
Prognosis
Over 90% of cases of epicondylitis can be managed non-operatively.
On average if left untreated, symptoms associated with Epicondylitis persist between 6 months and 2 years.
With treatment symptoms usually improve within 6-12 weeks.
In some cases rehabilitation may take 3-6 months.
Longer rehabilitation is more likely with high physical strain at work, dominant side involvement, concurrent neck pain, duration of symptoms for greater than 3 months, and severe pain.
Interesting facts about tennis elbow
Tennis elbow is not always caused by playing tennis.
Any activity, which involves repetitive use of the muscles on the top of the forearm, can result in tennis elbow symptoms.
The term tendonitis has now been replaced with tendonosis as there are no inflammatory cells present.
Nerve root irritation in the neck can often contribute to the pain presentation in the forearm.
How can Physio 101 help you?
Our physiotherapists have many years of experience treating this condition using a variety of different treatment options;
Dry Needling
Deep Tissue Massage
Cross Frictions
Electrotherapy
Specific Physio Guided Exercises