Your one-stop solution to Tennis Elbow Pain-
Dr. Subhankar Mishra
Pain in the elbow is very common in people who do more work. Many people suffer from it. Tennis elbow is the common term for lateral epicondylitis, an inflammatory painful condition of the tendon that connects the extensor muscles of the lower arm to a bony prominence on the outside of the elbow called the lateral epicondyle. The condition causes pain at the point where the tendon attaches to the epicondyle. Sometimes the pain is more when doing specific work. Sometimes it causes difficulty in doing common movements like lifting cups, turning keys, etc. The pain may radiate to the forearm and wrist.
WHY DOES IT OCCUR?
It’s an overuse disease. Chronic overuse causes stress to the tendons. They suffer multiple tears. It causes multiple inflammation and injury causing pain. Repetitive injury prevents the scar tissue from healing properly and remains weak and painful.
HOW TO COUNTER TENNIS ELBOW
REST:
It’s a condition due to overuse of the tendon. If the muscle rests well then the pain decreases. Sometimes only rest improves the symptoms.
ICE THERAPY:
Ice decreases inflammation which further improves pain. It decreases swelling and improves symptoms. Ice application for 10-15 minutes 3/4 times daily gives a better outcome.
COMPRESSION:
Compression of the tendon causes the release of inflammatory mediators into the blood and decreases local swelling and pain. Along with it helps in pain gate control.
ELEVATION:
It decreases the blood flow to the tendon which causes early recovery.
PHYSICAL THERAPY:
Several exercises help in early recovery and decrease the swelling. It also helps in strengthening other accessory muscles which further alleviates the symptoms.
ORAL NSAID:
Over-the-counter pain medicines help in decreasing inflammation and early recovery. They help in decreasing the pain mediators. However, the use of analgesics should be modulated by doctors.
SPLINT :
Splint use helps in limiting the movement of the muscle which leads to early recovery of the muscle.
INJECTION & SURGERY:
Advanced therapy like injection and surgery are rarely needed. Those treatments should be done in experienced hands.
Tennis elbow is a very common disease. It is a self-limiting disease. Most of the time the recovery occurs on its own. But sometimes it’s very irritating. It causes limitations of activities. For sports people, it is a nightmare. But it gets improved with the above basic steps.
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