Causes & Symptoms
Although the injured area is the elbow, most elbow movements will not cause pain. Movement of your fingers, however — such as gripping and extension — will. Stretching the affected muscles, including the wrist, also leads to pain.
Hand movements you are not accustomed to may cause tennis elbow, such as typing, painting and using a screwdriver for extended periods. Gripping and wringing movements are also contributors. The wrong technique in tennis may also lead to this injury. Almost half the total number of tennis players around the world may suffer from this condition at some point, hence the name.
Repetitive manual trades cause tennis elbow to 15 per cent of workers. It is especially common in the 35 to 50 age range among males and females and usually affects the dominant arm, although there are some cases where the non-dominant arm is affected by tennis elbow.
Treatment & Pain Management
For the short and long term management of tennis elbow, physiotherapy has been proven effective. Physiotherapists in Sydney, says Ergoworks Physiotherapy and Consulting Pty Ltd, aim to achieve the following:
- Reduce elbow pain
- Facilitate and speed up tissue repair
- Normalisation of the function and range of motion of the joint
- Normalisation of the length, strength and movement patterns of the muscles
- Restoration of normal upper limb neurodynamics
- Restoration of the normal function of cervical joint
Basic to advanced elbow strengthening exercises may help you avoid tennis elbow. They may also be advised by a therapist during the recovery period. Static biceps and triceps, resistance band supination and pronation are among the common exercises.
