News and Blog
Tennis Elbow has a number of treatment options
Tennis elbow refers to the inflammation, irritation, or the degeneration of the tendons to join up the elbow to the muscles in the wrist.
Also known as lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow is a condition that causes a lot of pain in the elbow. Usually, tennis elbow is caused due to an overuse of the elbow or the wrist. It is not surprising that a big number of tennis players or athletes that make a lot of use of their wrists tend to fall prey to this painful condition. Hence, this is where it gets its name. However, tennis elbow can also be caused by other activities.
Majorly, tennis elbow occurs when the tendons that join the outer part of the elbow to the forearm muscles become irritated and inflamed. This usually happens to due overuse and the repetition of the same movement over and over again. Since the pain is quite severe, it renders a person unable to carry out daily life activities until recovery.
Tennis elbow has a number of treatment options. In many cases, there is a team approach that is involved. Chiropractors and therapists may work together in order to provide relief and proper care.
According to the recent studies, tennis elbow could be a result of damage to a particular forearm muscle. When the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) becomes weaker due to an overuse, there occurs a formation if tears that are microscopic in nature. This causes inflammation and pain.
People that are suffering from this condition primarily end up feeling a throbbing and sharp pain on the outside of their elbow. On the other hand, the pain that is felt around the inside of the elbow is referred to as the Golfer's Elbow.
According to recent studies, many people can suffer from tennis elbow. It does not necessarily affect people who play tennis or other racquet involving supports. In truth, it may affect almost anyone. Although it is more common among physical and manual workers, especially those between the ages 50 and 70.
As mentioned earlier, the prime cause of tennis elbow is a repetitive strain on the forearm muscles. However, the factors that might be causing a repetitive stress to a person's forearms are not always as obvious as swinging a tennis racquet. Instead, a person may not even realize.
For example, often at times, people who suffer from shoulder problems end up feeling an added strain in the muscle tissues that go down into the arm and are attached to the tendons of the forearm. Such conditions may also ultimately result in a tennis elbow.
The prime treatment options for sufferers of tennis elbow include rest, proper mobilization after examination from a chiropractor, and a steroid injection in severe cases. In general,however, most of the tennis elbow cases do not necessarily need a steroid injection. This is because the risk level is rather low and the pain can be managed.
The best way to avoid a tennis elbow, which can, in essence, affect anyone, is to visit a chiropractor and get yourself examined after every few months.