Tennis Elbow: Causes, Symptoms, and Prevention Tips
Tennis Elbow or Lateral Epicondylitis manifests when the tendons, a band of inelastic tissues in the arm tear. A type of tendonitis, the condition leads to pain and swelling in the elbow and arm. Solutions include using an elbow brace from reputable elbow brace manufacturers to icing on the affected area or taking an OTC medicine. In addition, your doctor may ask you to perform certain motion exercises to treat the condition. To help you learn more about Tennis Elbow, we have put some information about its causes, symptoms, and prevention tips.
Causes
Your forearm muscles or tendons help raise and bend your arm. Too much contraction of these muscles may lead to tiny tears in them, thereby causing pain in the protruded part of the elbow. Given this tear, any activity during which you overuse the muscles covering the elbow may give rise to the problem of tennis elbow. As the name goes, the game of tennis is the most common cause of the condition. Other activities that can lead to tennis elbow include:
- Fencing
- Painting
- Typing
- Prolonged use of computer mouse
- Raking
- Knitting
- Carpentry
Symptoms
Tenderness and pain in the bony knob of the elbow are the common symptoms. In certain cases, the pain can extend to the forearm and wrist. Consequently, any simple activity from opening a door knob to holding a coffee cup can be painful.
People who suffer from tennis elbow experience the most pain when they:
- Lift
- Grab things
- Open a door
- Shake hands
- Straighten their wrist
Prevention Tips
Tennis elbow can manifest if you use the wrong equipment. For instance, a too heavy golf club or a tennis racket with a too large grip. The condition can arise even if you follow the wrong technique for using these equipment. Here are a few tips to prevent tennis elbow.
- Immediately stop pursuing any activity that is causing elbow pain
- Always stretch and warm up before any exercise or sport
- Apply ice over the elbow after exercise
Last Few Words
Any sort of gripping that exerts too much pressure on the tendons can cause them to tear, swell, and lead to tennis elbow. To diagnose the condition, the doctor may ask you to flex your arm, fold your wrist, or swing it a little. If there’s pain, they may ask you to limit your movements, rest the injured areas, or regularly ice it. They may even prescribe OTC or over-the-counter medicines. Wearing an elbow brace can be quite helpful too. When you purchase an elbow brace from the market, however, don’t just consider any brand, but a manufacturer that specialises in pain relief solutions. The reason is using an elbow that doesn’t provide the right support can do more harm than good. So, you need to be a little cautious.
