WHAT IS TENNIS ELBOW?
Tennis elbow is an overload injury affecting the common wrist extensor tendon. This tendon connects the wrist extensor muscles (on the back of our forearm) with the elbow. Despite the name, it is not specific to tennis players. Tennis elbow is common in weightlifters, golfers, tradies, office workers, hairdressers, the list goes on!
WHAT CAUSES TENNIS ELBOW?
Tennis elbow will generally come about when there is some sort of overload of the arm. This may be taking up a new sport or new form of exercise, it may be performing an increased amount of either paid work or house work, or it may be from a general increase in activity levels over time. Common contributing factors include having poor grip strength or weakness around the hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder.
HOW LONG DOES TENNIS ELBOW LAST?
Tennis elbow can be quite a stubborn and persistent injury to treat. It will often last for several months, if not more than a year. It is vital that tennis elbow is addressed as early as possible to minimise the risk of symptoms becoming chronic.
HOW TO TREAT TENNIS ELBOW?
In the short term, tennis elbow will response well to activity modification (doing less of the things that hurt), but not to complete rest. A tennis elbow brace can be super effective in minimising symptoms felt with tasks that involve gripping, pushing and pulling. Manual therapy techniques such as massage and dry needling can also help. In the long term, strength based rehab exercises should be prioritised to increase the capacity of the elbow to tolerate load and to allow for the tendon to adapt and recover.
Chris Bryceson
B. Health Sciences (Physio), APAM
CB Physiotherapy