Tennis elbow is a term that’s used to describe pain on the outside of the elbow, typically this gets worse with gripping and lifting activities. Despite its name, this injury is not only seen in tennis players, but also people whose jobs involve the repetitive use of the forearm like electricians, carpenters and those that are regularly using a computer.
What Causes Tennis Elbow?
There are various causes as to why this condition occurs, the primary one being the overuse of the muscles and tendons of the forearm with repetitive contractions or tasks. This over a period of time results in an increased amount of strain on your elbow tendons.
How Do You Know If You Have Tennis Elbow?
As there are many other causes for pain on the outside of your elbow, your Physiotherapist can carry out an assessment to determine the reason for your elbow pain.
Some Of The Common Signs Are
Pain on the outside of the elbow which gets worse on repetitive movements or gripping and lifting.
Pain located on the outer bony part of the elbow, in severe cases, the elbow may also become stiff.
How Can Physiotherapy Help?
Once your Physiotherapist has assessed the cause and contributing factors of your elbow pain, they can come up with a management plan that suits your individual needs. They can aid in providing you some pain relief with various hands-on approaches like massage, dry needling, etc.
This is usually followed in conjunction with a rehabilitation program to exercise the muscles of your forearm to improve its ability to cope with the load and get you back to your desired activity or job pain-free.
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This blog has been written by Urvashi Chhabria.