If you tell your boss at work or friends at home that you need treatment for tennis elbow you may not get much sympathy; but tennis elbow isn’t just the result of too many summer afternoons hitting tennis balls over a net. It should be taken seriously and treated at the first signs of pain in your forearm or elbow.
What causes Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow usually occurs when you do the same arm movements over and over again, especially gripping an object while twisting your wrist.
There are many causes – gardening, painting and decorating, plumbing, repeatedly carrying heavy items, even golf. And if your work involves using a computer all day, that can contribute to tennis elbow too.
Warning Signs
Tennis elbow is a pain, and sometimes inflammation, to the outside of your elbow and along the forearm, due to damage to arm muscles and tendons.
Tennis Elbow Treatment
If the pain is mild, then rest and gentle exercise can often deal with the problem. A trained physiotherapist can also help put together a suitable exercise programme for you.
And if you think your tennis elbow is being caused by your work, have a word with your employer about changing the way you do things – maybe your physio can suggest alternative ways of working that will help, such as agreed breaks.
But more severe cases need many months of expert treatment before a full recovery is made. At the Petersfield Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic we offer electro-therapy, acupuncture, and the use of splints for more serious cases.
This, combined with rest and avoiding any activities that aggravate the pain, can help speed up recovery.
And a programme of exercise, or changes to how you work and play, can help ensure tennis elbow doesn’t come back.
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