What Are The Causes Of Tennis Elbow, And How To Prevent

What Are The Causes Of Tennis Elbow, And How To Prevent : If you have ever felt pain on the outside of your elbow after doing any sort of repetitive activity with your hands, then chances are you have experienced tennis elbow.

Tennis elbow, which also goes by the name of lateral epicondylitis, is a medical condition that occurs due to inflammation of the forearm muscles attached to the elbow.

In technical terms, the inflammation occurs in the extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon that runs on the outer side of the elbow.

This condition occurs due to the overuse of the muscles, which makes it common in athletes and sportspeople. But, that does not mean it cannot occur outside a sports setting. For example, you can experience it at your workplace or even your home, doing chores that repeatedly require you to move your hand.

Plumber, carpenters, and painters also experience tennis elbow quite frequently.

So, in short, tennis elbow can happen to anyone, regardless of who you are. Therefore, it is important that you know of its causes and treatment and be fully equipped to combat it if you ever experience it in your life.

Symptoms of Tennis Elbow

Pain or burning sensation on the outer side of the elbow
Weak grip due to weak strength
Tenderness on the bony knob

Typically, the major sign of tennis elbow is pain and burning sensation on the elbow. People also experience weak grip as the condition affects grip strength. Both of these symptoms appear immediately. However, they develop fully in about a month, making the condition worse than ever.

People also feel tenderness in the outside area of the elbow, which is a bony knob shape. The knob is an area where injured tendons are attached to the bones, causing pain that radiates into the lower and upper arms.

Causes of Tennis Elbow

The major causes of tennis elbow, as explained above, is repetitive movements of the forearm. So any activity that involves rigorous movement of your hand, especially the elbow, can become a likely cause of tennis elbow.

But, the repetitive extension of the hands and wrists can also lead to this condition. Apart from painters and carpenters, even cooks, butchers, and auto workers often experience this problem because of the repetitive nature of their work.

The extensor carpi radialis brevis muscles stabilize the wrist and keep the elbow in a straight position. Therefore, a person is likely to experience tennis elbow when ECRB goes through any sort of damage.

Sometimes age can also play a role in causing tennis elbow. This is indicated by the fact that most people, who experience this problem, are around the age of 30 to 50. However, age alone cannot be defined as the possible cause with certainty.

How to Treat a Tennis Elbow?

Tennis elbow is usually treated surgically as well as non surgically. But, approximately 90% of the patients are successfully treated non surgically.

There are several ways of treating tennis elbows, and your doctor will first give you one or two treatments from the following list.

The first on the list is rest regardless of what other treatment you are receiving. Your doctor will ask you to rest your arm for a few days or weeks. For that, he might also give you a brace to immobilize the muscles.
Ice packs are also used to reduce the inflammation that causes a burning sensation.
OTC pain-relieving medicines also help in decreasing the pain.
Physically therapy is also implemented to strengthen the affected muscles and help them heal faster.
Sometimes, steroid injections are also used on the affected tendons to reduce inflammation.

If all the above treatment ways fail and your elbow is still in bad shape even after a year, then surgical means are applied. However, your doctor decides if you do need one or not.

Flex Tennis Elbow Bar – Best For Tennis Elbow Recovery

Flex Tennis Elbow bar is a tool that is made for stretching the upper limbs to help in reducing muscle soreness. Since the elbow joint is the area where your tendons are inflamed, leading to muscle soreness and grip weakening, the flex bar is the best solution for improving your overall forearm muscle strength.

The bar works on strengthening your tendons. The bar comes in different resistance levels, making it an ideal tool for working on your tennis elbow recovery. Typically the higher resistance levels work best for the tennis elbow.

All in all, the flex tennis elbow bar is a clinically proven tool for the treatment of many injuries related to the upper extremities.

Conclusion

Tennis elbow can happen to anyone who engages in activities that require repetitive hand movement. But, it can be treated by taking an OTC pain killer and resting your arm for a few days.

The best treatment for tennis elbow or any other elbow injury is flex bar. It helps you strengthen your tendons, leading to a strong forearm and good grip.