Physiotherapy

Combatting Tennis Elbow

By December 3, 2014 March 14th, 2019 No Comments

Many everyday functional activities require the use of our wrists and hands. Activities such as pulling weeds when gardening, gripping a hammer, or a backhand stroke in tennis require the use of our wrist extensor muscles.

When these activities are repeated on a consistent basis, the musculotendinous unit can become inflamed and cause unpleasant symptoms. This is referred to as lateral epicondylitis or “tennis elbow.”

Symptoms of Tennis Elbow

  1. Pain in the elbow area after wrist and hand activities
  2. Pain when the muscle is stretched or when against resistance
  3. Decreased muscle strength and grip strength
  4. Tenderness along palpation of elbow

The Rehabilitation Process

Lateral epicondylitis is a very common repetitive strain injury. It is critical to progress with a rehabilitation process as soon as you begin experiencing symptoms.

This rehabilitation process can include:

  • Increase flexibility and mobilize scar tissue
  • Restore normal joint tracking
  • Strengthen the forearm extensor muscles and endurance
  • Restore functional abilities