Tennis Elbow Pain

Have pain on the outside of the elbow?  You just may have a condition we call Tennis Elbow (or medically known as Lateral Epicondylitis).  Of course you don't have to be a tennis superstar to get tennis elbow, it can happen to anyone that overuses this area of the body.  Common symptoms of tennis elbow are pain & burning on the outside of the elbow and weak grip strength.  You can read more about tennis elbow HERE.  As always, its a good idea to be diagnosed by your doctor before going forward with treatment.  Who knows, your elbow pain may be unrelated to conditions that cause tennis elbow.

More than likely tennis elbow didn't just happen overnight.  Repetition and overuse of the forearm extensor muscles that stabilize the wrist can become weak from overuse.  This in turn will cause tears in the tendon attaching to the lateral epicondyle which will cause pain & inflammation.  Who besides tennis players is most likely prone to getting tennis elbow?  Plumbers, painters, carpenters, car mechanics, and cooks to name a few professions.  Again, repetition in these jobs is what causes the condition to get worse.

So what can you do?  Tennis elbow is a very treatable condition that doesn't require surgery unless you let it get really bad where surgery needs to happen.  Resting that part of the body and using a brace can go a long way in helping people who suffer from tennis elbow.  Considering massage as an option?  Massage can help in bringing pain relief to the elbow.

How would massage help?  Recent studies have shown that a particular muscle called extensor carpi radialis brevis (forearm extensor muscle) is responsible for much of the pain because it helps stabilize the wrist, and it is also attached into the elbow.  When this muscle becomes weak, thats when problems occur.  In massage, trigger point therapy would help in releasing that tight muscle as well as using some myofascial release to bring relief.  Of course the entire arm would be worked over to find any other areas of dysfunction that could cause pain into the elbow.  I myself have provided much relief for my clients who have had this condition.  Has tennis elbow been a problem for you?  Give massage a try and see if it will work for you.  Easy online scheduling HERE.