Tennis Elbow

Jeremy Barnes identifies seven ways to alleviate the condition experienced by many tennis players, Tennis Elbow.

Tennis elbow is one of the most irritating injuries you can pick up as a tennis player. Caused by the repetitive gripping/swinging action, it is an injury that generally develops over time. Initially, you may start to feel some tendon pain. Then, it disappears, only to return in varying degrees of pain. It is a form of tendonitis that is incredibly difficult to eliminate.

Tennis elbow is commonly associated with tennis players. Still, it is an injury many racquet sports players pick up, and even people who do not play can be affected.

As with many injuries, the most effective cure is complete rest, but that is not always an option that people have, for example, if they have a manual job that requires lifting, etc. Because the pain is not necessarily bad enough to stop people from playing tennis, many players will endure it when they have tennis elbow.

Due to how often the elbow joint is used in everyday life, tennis elbow can be more frustrating than other injuries, so a cure will come in handy for many sufferers.

For a complete guide to the prevention and treatment of tennis elbow, head over to TRCentral, but also here are some of the methods that are proven to help reduce the pain or help to cure it.

Ice

Whilst icing the injury is not likely to disappear with this type of treatment, it will certainly provide comfort and reduce inflammation. It should be repeated for a few minutes, several times throughout the day.

Rest

Whenever you have the chance to rest in the area, you should. When doing everyday movements, try to use your other arm as much as possible. Try to avoid any activities or actions that feel like they are aggravating the injury.

NSAIDs

(Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs) Ibuprofen and similar NSAIDs, both tablets and creams, are excellent ways of reducing inflammation.

Physiotherapy

Massage and manipulation methods applied by qualified physiotherapists can help relieve the injury. Strengthening the forearm muscles through various exercises is another way to help eliminate the problem. Adding muscle will take some of the strain away from the tendon.

Support/strapping

During the recovery phase, wearing a brace or strapping provides additional support to the tendon. Many chemists sell supports specifically designed to relieve tennis elbow and offer various sizes. However, as soon as the issue feels better, it is best to remove the strapping to prevent muscle waste from relying on support.

Corticosteroid injections

When resting is not an option, an injection may be administered. Professional sportspeople often use these to enable them to continue playing, mainly if there is a critical match/event that they do not want to miss out on. The injection is an effective way of reducing the pain, for a short period at least. Medical professionals do not consider this kind of treatment to get rid of tennis elbow but more a means of getting through it without pain.

Surgery

Surgery involves removing part of the damaged tendon and is only a last-resort method of treatment. In some severe cases, usually after all the other methods have been tried and failed, surgery may be recommended. It is the case if the person has been suffering a lot of pain and with no signs of improvement for a considerable amount of time. Read more info here on Medline Plus.

Conclusion

Tennis elbow can come and go and cause a lot of discomfort, so it is recommended that you consult a doctor or sports physiotherapist to see the best course of action to take. Sometimes, rest is going to help you be cured of the problem finally, and you would rather not have to be operated on, as there are also risks associated with that.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

BARNES, J. (2018) Tennis Elbow [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article339.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Jeremy Barnes is a fitness enthusiast and keen tennis player who has played for 20 years. He runs the tennis blog TR Central, where he writes tips and advice articles for tennis players from beginner to pro level.


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Tennis elbow is one of the most irritating injuries you can pick up as a tennis player. Caused by the repetitive gripping/swinging action, it is an injury that generally develops over time. Initially, you may start to feel some tendon pain. Then, it disappears, only to return in varying degrees of pain. It is a form of tendonitis that is incredibly difficult to eliminate. Tennis elbow is commonly associated with tennis players. Still, it is an injury many racquet sports players pick up, and even people who do not play can be affected. As with many injuries, the most effective cure is complete rest, but that is not always an option that people have, for example, if they have a manual job that requires lifting, etc. Because the pain is not necessarily bad enough to stop people from playing tennis, many players will endure it when they have tennis elbow. Due to how often the elbow joint is used in everyday life, tennis elbow can be more frustrating than other injuries, so a cure will come in handy for many sufferers. For a complete guide to the prevention and treatment of tennis elbow, head over to TRCentral, but also here are some of the methods that are proven to help reduce the pain or help to cure it. Ice Whilst icing the injury is not likely to disappear with this type of treatment, it will certainly provide comfort and reduce inflammation. It should be repeated for a few minutes, several times throughout the day. Rest Whenever you have the chance to rest in the area, you should. When doing everyday movements, try to use your other arm as much as possible. Try to avoid any activities or actions that feel like they are aggravating the injury. NSAIDs (Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs) Ibuprofen and similar NSAIDs, both tablets and creams, are excellent ways of reducing inflammation. Physiotherapy Massage and manipulation methods applied by qualified physiotherapists can help relieve the injury. Strengthening the forearm muscles through various exercises is another way to help eliminate the problem. Adding muscle will take some of the strain away from the tendon. Support/strapping During the recovery phase, wearing a brace or strapping provides additional support to the tendon. Many chemists sell supports specifically designed to relieve tennis elbow and offer various sizes. However, as soon as the issue feels better, it is best to remove the strapping to prevent muscle waste from relying on support. Corticosteroid injections When resting is not an option, an injection may be administered. Professional sportspeople often use these to enable them to continue playing, mainly if there is a critical match/event that they do not want to miss out on. The injection is an effective way of reducing the pain, for a short period at least. Medical professionals do not consider this kind of treatment to get rid of tennis elbow but more a means of getting through it without pain. Surgery Surgery involves removing part of the damaged tendon and is only a last-resort method of treatment. In some severe cases, usually after all the other methods have been tried and failed, surgery may be recommended. It is the case if the person has been suffering a lot of pain and with no signs of improvement for a considerable amount of time. Read more info here on Medline Plus. Conclusion Tennis elbow can come and go and cause a lot of discomfort, so it is recommended that you consult a doctor or sports physiotherapist to see the best course of action to take. Sometimes, rest is going to help you be cured of the problem finally, and you would rather not have to be operated on, as there are also risks associated with that. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: BARNES, J. (2018) Tennis Elbow [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article339.htm [Accessed About the Author Jeremy Barnes is a fitness enthusiast and keen tennis player who has played for 20 years. He runs the tennis blog TR Central, where he writes tips and advice articles for tennis players from beginner to pro level.