Tennis Elbow

Notwithstanding the name Tennis elbow, it is a condition occurring to people frequently moving the arm in the same direction thereby affecting the elbow bone (lateral epicondyle) and causing tears in the tendons resulting in severe pain, the medical term used for tennis elbow is Lateral Epicondylitis. Tennis players are also frequently affected due to repeatedly hitting tennis balls in the same manner, any action which is repetitive and involves the elbow and wrist might result in this condition, even golf and racquet sport players, gardeners and people performing manual work daily are also affected by this condition. The person usually suffers extreme pain in the elbow on touching and moving, pain in the wrist, where performing even simple actions like opening a bottle cap, typing, holding something in your hand, combing your hair etc., seem very uncomfortable and painful. This is caused due to the inflammation in muscles and tendons near the elbow due to overuse were the same action is repeated daily, identifying the action and trying to change the position or reducing the use of the same action could reduce the pain to some extent.

Resting the affected arm, using hot or cold packs and taking pain killers give some relief from the pain. If the pain persists, the doctor might suggest some simple exercises or wearing a brace as a support to the elbow which will help to ease the pain and stiffness in the arm. If the above treatments also do not give any relief from the pain, the doctor might suggest giving a steroid injection in the affected area, or even go in for surgery if required for quick relief. Acupunture is also a treatment for tennis elbow, but the effectiveness of this treatment is still questionable, massaging the affected area also might give some respite from the pain, but all these treatments should be done under the supervision of a doctor to avoid any further complications.

Prevention is the best medicine, trying to take some precautions so as not to be affected by tennis elbow is very important, taking care that the actions we perform are not repetitive in nature, and taking small breaks from the routine work like twisting and turning the wrist, and using a strap when playing or doing manual work are recommended, as the strap helps the pressure on the muscles to be spread throughout the arm to avoid being affected by tennis elbow. When it is necessary that a person do certain activities as a part of his daily life which may put him at a risk in being affected by tennis elbow, it is important that he practices certain techniques so that he will be putting the least strain on the muscles and tendons of his elbow and wrist. Taking the necessary precautions, slightly altering your routine activities and practicing new techniques will help in preventing tennis elbow, and taking sufficient rest, hot and cold compress and doing certain exercises recommended by the doctor will help when one is affected by tennis elbow.