Tennis elbow is a common condition seen in clinic, and often in people who do not play tennis! It usually comes on after repetitive movements, such as typing or gardening.
It is a repetitive strain injury of the forearm, and the pain presents where the tendons attach into the bone on the outside of your elbow. If these tendons are overloaded, usually by repetitive tasks, they develop micro tears in the tendons, leading to pain and irritation. It usually occurs because of continued overloading of the tendons, rather than one specific incident.
You may be more likely to develop tennis elbow if you spend long hours at a desk typing or using a mouse, have recently increased training load at the gym, perform repetitive gripping such as tools/weights/tennis racket.
Symptoms:
- Pain or burning on the outside of the elbow
- Reduced grip strength
- Pain when lifting a kettle, opening a door, or shaking hands
- Stiffness in the elbow in the morning
Osteopathic treatment may include
- Soft-tissue massage to the forearm and upper arm
- Joint mobilisation of the elbow, wrist, and shoulder
- Dry needling (if appropriate)
- Progressive strengthening programme
Strengthening and Recovery
Progressive strengthening is the most effective long-term treatment for tennis elbow. We will go over a series of strengthening exercises with the goal to reduce pain and improve function. Most cases of tennis elbow improve significantly within 6 – 12 weeks with the right combination of treatment and exercise. Chronic cases may take longer but they will still improve with the right treatment and strengthening plan. With the right treatment and exercise plan, most people will make a full recovery.
If you are struggling with pain in the elbow which is limiting your daily life, please do book an appointment to see how we can help.
