Before we discuss the various treatments for tennis elbow, we need to explore what it is.

The quickest way to identify it is by locating where on the elbow you feel the pain. You will tend to feel the discomfort on the outside of the elbow.

Obviously, it occurs a lot in tennis players, hence the name. But it can also be brought on by repetitive movements like decorating or playing an instrument.

It is very much an overuse injury and is caused by overworking the muscles and tendons of the forearm.

You may feel it most when bending the arm, twisting the arm or picking up small objects like coins.

Tennis Elbow treatment

What causes tennis elbow?

If you put too much strain on the muscles and tendons of the forearm it can cause microtrauma. Essentially, these are small tears to the muscles or tendons surrounding the elbow. This, in turn, can create inflammation that becomes painful and restrictive.

If you overdo it with a new hobby, especially racquet sports, you can be asking for trouble. But also, the trauma can be caused by bad technique and poor biomechanics. Although there are plenty of ways to treat tennis elbow, getting coaching on good technique can help prevent it before it happens. It is worth the investment.

Immediate treatments for tennis elbow

The most important first step is to cease the activity that created the problem. This means having a period of complete rest. It can be frustrating if the activity is a hobby you particularly enjoy, but the rest is vital.

Then, as a means of managing the inflammation, you should hold a cold compress against your elbow for a few minutes at a time. This should be done a few times a day. A bag of frozen peas wrapped in a thin tea towel can act as a makeshift compress.

(In some instances, you may want to use paracetamol or Ibuprofen to reduce the pain).

Further treatments for tennis elbow

Physiotherapy can be a great way to recuperate and rehabilitate from tennis elbow. It is a great way to restore function and movement to the joint. And especially designated follow up exercises and stretches will help safeguard against a recurrence of the injury.

Often, problems in the elbow are caused by biomechanical restrictions caused by tensions in other parts of the body.  Treatments such as osteopathy often look at the bigger picture. They might, for example, find that by addressing problems in areas such as the upper back, neck and shoulders they can reduce pressure on the elbow.

In addition, massage therapists have a range of options to help treat the condition. They might use any combination of deep tissue work, myofascial release, acupressure or cross-fibre friction for treatment.

All of these therapies can show a demonstrable improvement in symptoms.

A final word

Whatever you do, don’t let tennis elbow go untreated. If ignored, your elbow pain can worsen and may even spread down your forearm and affect your wrists.

We hope this information is useful for you. If you need advice or have any questions about our treatments, please contact us. You can find us in Mill Hill Broadway and Islington. We are always happy to help. If you like this blog, please share!

The post Tennis Elbow treatments – What can ease the pain? appeared first on Perea Clinic.

How to avoid tennis injuries this summer

The sun is coming …

Wimbledon is almost upon us …

You are reaching for the old wooden tennis racquets from the loft …

And it’s time to discuss how to avoid tennis injuries this year!

The most common tennis injuries

There is something that happens in your head. You see Andy Murray or Roger Federer on the telly, and your mind quickly awakens your inner tennis pro.

You desperately ring around for an available court and coerce a good friend or your reluctant partner to give you a game.

With tennis being a racket sport you might expect that your most probable injuries would be to your wrists, shoulders or the dreaded tennis elbow.

The reality is, however, that most injuries occur in the lower body and the lower back. The back is often affected because of the rigid posture you adopt for most of the day in the office.

The knees, hips, and ankles are at risk due to the quick changes of directions and fast starts as you try desperately to accommodate for the inadequate crosscourt forehands.

The best ways to avoid common tennis injuries

If you now think you might get into Wimbledon fever, plan to have your equipment sorted in advance.

The correct grip:

One of the key factors for avoiding injuries to the elbow and wrist is to make sure that your racket has the right grip size for the size of your hand.

Try wrapping your hand around the handle of the racket. There should be enough room for the index finger of your free hand to fit between the fingers and your thumb on the hand gripping the racket. If the handle is too small you can buy some thicker grip to pad out the handle.

If the handle is too big borrow one that is a more suitable size for you.

The proper warm up:

In the old days, recreational players would warm up with what is known as static stretches. These typically involve holding a static pose for a few seconds to lengthen out a particular muscle.

These days, however, dynamic flexibility is far more in vogue. There isn’t space to describe it in full here, but the key principles of dynamic flexibility is that by stretching on the move, you encourage the muscle to move through its full range of movement.

Dynamic flexibility has the added bonus of raising the body’s core temperature, which is also critical in helping to avoid injury. It’s worth having a look around Youtube to see examples of dynamic flexibility movements in action.

Proper biomechanics:

Above all, it is always worth getting in a couple of sneaky lessons. One of the biggest causes of injury is bad biomechanics. There are probably some fundamental errors in your swing that an LTA certified coach could soon iron out.

We hope this information is useful for you. If you have any questions about our treatments, please contact us. You can find us in Mill Hill Broadway and Islington. If you like this blog, please share!

We are always happy to help.

The post Tennis Injuries – How to avoid them appeared first on Perea Clinic.