Tennis Elbow
- September 23, 2021
How physical therapy can treat Tennis Elbow
Tennis Elbow or Lateral Epicondylitis is a condition caused by overuse of the extensor muscles in your arm and forearm specifically where the tendons attach to the rounded portion of bone (epicondyles) on the outside aspect of the elbow. Funny enough most people who get tennis elbow do not actually play tennis, less than 5% of tennis elbow cases occur in people who play tennis(ChoosePT)
Symptoms of tennis elbow can occur abruptly as a result of excessive use of the wrist and hand for activities that require force. Lifting, twisting, pulling or forceful activities for example starting a lawn mower by yanking the starter cord can put a lot of stress on the extensor muscle fibers which can lead to a sudden onset of tennis elbow. Interestingly enough it is more common for symptoms of tennis elbow to develop gradually over a period of weeks or months as a result of repeated use of the wrist,hand and elbow(ChoosePT).
Common symptoms
- Radiating pain into the forearm and wrist
- Difficulty doing common tasks, such as turning a doorknob
- Difficulty gripping
- Stiffness in the elbow
- Weakness in the forearm and or wrist.
The physical therapist’s goal is to improve the strength and flexibility of your forearm and help improve blood flow to the tendons which do not get the same level of blood and oxygen supply as muscles normally receive(Webmd) Improving strength in the area is critical because insufficient muscle strength can actually lead to tennis elbow(ChoosePT) The physical therapist will decide if you should use a brace or support to protect any muscles while the area is healing. In rare cases treatments such as cortisone injection or surgery may be needed however physical therapy aims to prevent invasive approaches like the ones previously mentioned. The therapist will design a specific treatment protocol to address your specific needs which in turn speed up the recovery process. You will very likely be given at home exercises to do on your own which will also help the recovery process immensely.
At Allied Health Solutions, our highly skilled therapists will work with you one on one and are ready to assist you or your loved one with any tennis elbow related injury. We will be there every step of the way devising a protocol for your specific case to ensure a speedy recovery and now with the opening of our new location in Sterling, VA you should not have a problem finding a convenient time slot to get you started! Below you will find the address and map layout of our new Sterling location!
Sources
- Guide: Physical Therapy guide to tennis ELBOW (Lateral Epicondylitis). Choose PT. (2021, August 26). Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical-therapy-guide-tennis-elbow-lateral-epicondylitis.
