Pain on the outside of the elbow is a hallmark of lateral epicondylitis, another name for tennis elbow. Despite being prevalent in tennis players, anyone can develop tennis elbow, particularly those who spend a lot of time using their hands, such as golfers, rock climbers, handymen (and women), etc. In essence, it is overuse-induced tendinitis. The tendon in question is the common extensor tendon, which is located on the thumb side of your elbow. The tip of the tendon will often have a pinpoint area of tenderness.
WHAT CAUSES IT?
Tennis elbow can develop as a result of a few factors. Overuse is a major one, as was already mentioned. Large increases in training volume or intensity will put you at risk for overuse injuries if you're an athlete. People typically don't train much during the winter, but as spring arrives, they begin training hard several days a week in preparation for competition. Your muscles and tendons won't have time to adjust if you don't gradually resume your activities.
Athletics isn't the only thing that can cause significant increases in activity. Your elbow and shoulder muscles will be under different strains than usual if you spend the weekend repainting the bedrooms in your home. These significant changes in activity are what we need to be aware of.
Poor mechanics are the second factor that can cause overuse injuries like tennis elbow. It matters how you swing a tennis racket, or how you do any other task. Injuries may result from overstressing particular body parts due to poor form or mechanics. Having your technique examined by a qualified sports chiropractor or physical therapist is crucial. We would be delighted to help you with this if you are in Quincy or the tri-state area.
There are other factors that can contribute to tennis elbow and delay healing. We call these micro-stressors, because they typically won’t cause the injury, but they will continue to “pick the scab” if not addressed. These include:
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Workplace posture. Using a mouse and typing a lot can stress the wrist and elbow, so ensuring your workspace is ergonomically correct is important.
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Picking up your kids. Keeping your elbows close to your body when lifting gives you a better mechanical advantage.
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Sleep posture. Sleeping on your side with your hand under your pillow puts the elbow in a bent position and can compress the extensor tendon. We should avoid tendon compression when injured because it can increase sensitivity. Try sleeping with your arm straight.
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Heavy purses and handbags. If you’re in the habit of carrying your purse or handbag on the injured side, try switching to the other side until your elbow recovers.
What Treatments are Available?
Supportive bands or sleeves, NSAIDs, corticosteroid injections, physical therapy, and infrequently surgery are all part of traditional treatment methods.
According to the available data, the tendon should be gradually strengthened and the activity that irritates it should be changed. After a reasonable effort at strengthening has been made, injections or surgery should be the last option. Medications can be used to manage flare-ups.
Our Approach to Treating Tennis Elbow:
Many athletes in our area have found tennis elbow relief through chiropractic, manual therapy, and corrective exercise here at Performance Sport & Spine. Since each person is unique, an individual approach is taken with each patient. Listed below is our general approach at providing tennis elbow relief.
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Put out the fire aka reduce pain. We do this with laser therapy, dry needling, soft tissue work, kinesiology tape, and/or joint mobilizations.
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Fix what caused the fire:
a. Strengthen the tendon. Tendon pain happens because the strength of the tendon cannot match the stress being put on it. This is why the “rest and wait” method does not work.
b. Improve mechanics. This will be different for everyone. Areas that can affect the elbow are the hips, core, shoulder, neck, and wrist. Below is a video we use to help address shoulder mechanics. -
Modify activity. Rarely do we have to tell someone to completely stop what they’re doing. There is a sweet spot between complete rest and going all-out where recovery can happen and you can continue doing what you love. We work together to find that sweet spot.
If you live in or around the Quincy area and are experiencing tennis elbow or elbow pain that doesn’t seem to get better, contact us today to work with our team and begin finding relief.