Tennis Elbow
Elbow pain which is located on the outside of the elbow (when the palms are facing forward) is commonly due to injury known as “Tennis Elbow”.
Despite its name, it is commonly found in non sporting people such as manual workers and people who do repetitive movements involving a lot of wrist extension (bending back) e.g. carrying a carrytot.
Why does it happen? There can be a number of causes for pain at this site.
Overuse of the wrist extensor tendon is the most common and it can result in inflammation where the tendon attaches to the bone or degeneration of the tendon along its length.
The pain can be made worse by tightness in the muscle in the forearm or tension in the neck or upper back.
Predisposing Factors · Poor posture
· Changes in, or poor training or work techniques.
· Stress
· Repetitive or sustained upper limb (especially wrist) movements.
· Neck and upper back pain.
All are factors which may cause / exacerbate lateral elbow pain.
Neck and Upper Back Involvement Elbow Pain can be severely influenced by the neck and upper back in a number of ways.
If a person has had a neck or upper back problem in the past, or at the same time as their elbow pain useful treatments include physiotherapy technique such as
· Soft tissue therapy
· Deep massage
· Electrotherapy
· Stretching and strengthening exercises
· Pain Relief
· Acupuncture
If a combination of the above doesn’t work, a costicosteroid injection may be considered.
Assessing the Injury
In order for treatment to be successful, a very thorough examination is required. This should include looking at the onset of injury, activities and lifestyle of the patient.
A detailed physical examination of the elbow, wrist and shoulder as well as a thorough examination of the neck and thoracic spine, bearing in mind previous episodes of neck and back pain.
What treatment is needed? No single treatment has been proven to be totally effective in the treatment of this condition. It is best treated by a combination of different treatments. The principles of treatment will involve:
· Controlling pain and inflammation
· Encouraging healing
· Restoring flexibility and strength and eliminating the predisposing factors previously mentioned.
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