My Elbow Hurts. Do I Have Tennis Elbow?
Posted on Tue, Jan 25, 2011 @ 01:59 PM
You don't have to play tennis to suffer from Tennis Elbow. Tennis Elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is a common cause of elbow pain. This pain is usually most acute on the outside bony prominence or “lateral epicondyle” of your elbow. The muscles that you use to stabilize and extend your wrist originate from this bony area and it is believed that in this condition the muscle and tendon tissue becomes damaged from trauma or overuse. Although tennis and other racquet sports players are prone to this injury, many people develop it from other daily activities, both at home and at work.
Usually the pain comes on gradually and people are unable to pinpoint its cause. Occasionally the onset is related to a specific incident, for example shoveling heavy snow, or tackling a home renovation project. Overzealous performance of seasonal jobs in the garden such as pulling weeds, digging, or operating equipment like chainsaws for a prolonged period have also been noted by patients to have caused the onset of their symptoms.
It is important to see your doctor before assuming that the cause of your pain is actually tennis elbow, as there are other conditions which can cause similar symptoms.
Depending on the severity of the injury and the length of time the person has been having symptoms, the pain may be described as either a constant ache in the elbow area, or may come on only with activities that involve reaching, grasping, or lifting. Usually the pain is worse when lifting is performed with the elbows straight, for example, reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out a milk jug. Sometimes a catching sensation is noted with elbow motion, and occasionally the tightness that develops in these muscles makes moving your wrist and elbow through its full range of motion uncomfortable.
Your doctor may offer you an injection of anti-inflammatory medication in the painful area if the pain is acute, and may also prescribe a tennis elbow brace, which is a circumferential band which is worn on your forearm about 2 inches down from the lateral epicondyle. The purpose of the band is to disperse some of the forces over your muscles so that the injury area does not take the full force of a muscle contraction. It is very important not to over tighten this band when you are wearing it, as you may cause a “pinching” of your radial nerve which tracks along the same area of your pain. Some bands such as the 3-Point Products Elbow Wrap, are designed so that you can localize the supporting counter pressure to your arm without having to tighten the entire wrap excessively.
Another common method of resting the injury involves wearing a wrist splint which positions your wrist in extension. This splint will provide some protection to the painful area of the elbow by preventing you from overstretching your extensor muscles. Both of these devices also serve as a “reminder” not to use your arm for heavy grasping, lifting or pulling during the initial recovery period.
Your doctor may also refer you for a course of therapy (either physical, occupational, or hand therapy) to help you manage your condition. The therapist will spend some time reviewing your daily activities in an attempt to pinpoint the activities which are causing your symptoms, and suggest ways that you can modify these activities to make them less stressful on your elbow.
At the initial, acute stage of the condition the therapist may also recommend a trial of various modalities such as moist heat, cold packs, therapeutic ultrasound, which is used to encourage circulation and healing in the affected tissues, or iontophoresis, which is a method of delivering anti inflammatory or other medication to the painful area with low voltage electricity. Gentle pain free stretching and massage to the painful muscles may also be performed. After the pain has subsided, a careful, progressive strengthening program may be added to strengthen the affected arm.
Finally, for sports injuries, it may be a good idea to have a lesson from a professional instructor, for example a golf or tennis pro, or if related to musical instrument play, a well trained instructor in your instrument. These professionals may quickly be able to pinpoint habits you have developed which are contributing to your injury.
About the author: Lydia Hohman, OTR/L CHT has been a Certified Hand Therapist since 1993 and was a co-owner of North Wales Hand Rehabilitation in Pennsylvania until 2009, when she relocated to Maryland. She continues to work as an occupational and hand therapist in Maryland.