What is tennis elbow? Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis is a painful condition whereby the tendon of the muscle attach to the bone on the outer aspect of the elbow is inflammed, This pain is mostly associated with active contraction of the muscle in activities such as gripping, grasping, lifting, or typing. What causes tennis elbow/lateral epicondylitis? Most commonly caused by Overuse injury, that could be work or non-work related, overly stressing and increasing muscle tension more than the muscle can tolerate, this stresses are usually from repetitive activities. Trauma – A direct blow to the elbow may result in swelling of the tendon that can lead to degeneration. A sudden extreme action, force, or activity could also injure the tendon. What are the Conservative (non-surgical) treatments? 1) Activity modification – Limiting activities that can aggravate the pain, but total rest is not recommended. proper support on wrist and elbow on computer work 2) Medication – anti-inflammatory medications may help alleviate the pain. 3) Brace – a tennis elbow brace, a band worn over the muscle of the forearm, just below the elbow, can reduce the tension on the tendon and allow it to heal. 4) Physical Therapy - using modalities such as ultrasound, cold compression, or heat therapy, to reduce inflammation, or myofascial release manual techniques to relief tension, and as the pain is reduced, progressive stretching and strengthening exercises is given to prevent recurrence.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:38:19 +0000
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