Tennis elbow is a condition where the tendons on the outside part of the elbow have been overused and this triggers a cascade of changes resulting in pain with gripping and lifting tasks. Often the tendons will be loaded when you do something like a sudden burst of gardening, increased workload of typing or something that requires lots of gripping. It’s not just tennis that causes tennis elbow! Pain from the tendon can also radiate into the forearm or upper arm.
TENNIS ELBOW
What is tennis elbow?
Do I need to get a scan?
The pain is mostly related to the overload episode and your symptoms can still improve even if your scan still shows a tear. Imaging is not required to diagnose tennis elbow.
How is tennis elbow treated?
Due to the demands of everyday life tennis elbow can be a tricky condition to manage as we are constantly using our forearm muscles when we grip. It’s important to note that your pain may go up and down during your rehab as you balance your daily activities with strengthening exercises.
Your physio rehabilitation may include:
- Advice to avoid repetitive activities and aggravating positions
- Ideas on how to improve your upper body posture to use your arm muscle more efficiently
- A gradual forearm muscle strengthening program
- Gentle stretches
- Bracing or taping.
