What is Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)?
WHAT IS TENNIS ELBOW?
Tennis elbow is the common term for lateral epicondylitis. It is the most common elbow injury.
With lateral epicondylitis, the common extensor tendon of muscles – responsible for movements of the forearm, wrist, and fingers - gets inflamed and irritated.
Overloading the tendons, repetitive strain, and increased stress on the structures leads to pain. Keep in mind that this can happen to anyone – you don’t just have to play tennis! In fact, only 5% of cases result from tennis.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE LATERAL EPICONDYLITIS?
The most common symptom is pain with wrist extension, pronation, supination, or gripping. If your job or daily activity involves a lot of manual labour, house work, and hobbies using your hands a lot, you are at greater risk of developing tennis elbow.
You might experience the pain during, at the end, or even a couple of hours after activities that irritate the tissues or cause pain.
You might be able to touch or feel the pain on the lateral (outer) point of your elbow joint.
HOW TO TREAT TENNIS ELBOW
Your physiotherapist can guide you through rehabilitation of your tennis elbow.
They will first assess to rule out the neck and upper back as the source of pain. They will help you identify the root of the problem – whether it is posture, weakness, inflexibility, or a combination of several factors – in order to create a treatment plan that is right for you.
In some cases, certain modalities like Shockwave can aid in the healing process if more conservative treatments aren’t working.
Interested in learning more?
Read on in our series of articles on Muskuloskeletal Conditions!
About the Author - Sonia Gashgarian
Sonia Gashgarian is a registered physiotherapist who graduated with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Toronto. Prior to this she completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with Honours from the University of Waterloo. Sonia has completed courses in sports taping and basic kinesio-taping, as well as the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy and Mulligan Concept. She also has her APTEI Acupuncture and Dry Needling Certification.
Sonia uses a variety of treatment techniques to help clients feel better and return to their regular activities as soon as possible. Her individualized treatments may include the following: education, joint mobilizations, exercise prescription, soft tissue release, trigger point release, taping, acupuncture and dry needling, cupping, and Gua Sha.
To book in please call us at (519) 442-2206 or click here.