Tennis elbow – But I don’t even play tennis!
Medically known as lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow is the inflammation of the ouside of the elbow.
The muscles of the back of the forearm run from the wrist to the elbow, where they attach to the upper arm bone (the humerus). It is this tendon, and the surrounding outer layer of bone that become inflamed in tennis elbow. Any movement of the muscle, which puts stress on the tendon, will then cause the characteristic pain of tennis elbow.
It is not just tennis backhands that put a stress on the muscles of the forearm and their attached tendon. Activities such as using a screwdriver, typing, or writing can all cause the typical tennis elbow pain.
How do you know if you have tennis elbow? Try lifting a book with your palm facing down to the floor. If it causes pain on the outside of the elbow, you probably have tennis elbow.
As you can see, tennis elbow is ultimately caused by overuse of the wrist extensor (straightening) muscles which, by means of the tendons, connect to the elbow. Classically this is caused by the tennis backhand but, as we have seen, can also be caused by other types of repetitive activity.
Too much tension in the muscle group can also cause a decrease in the joint space in the elbow and actual inflammation of the joint. In time this can cause not just the typical pain from the epicondylitis, but also from the elbow joint itself.
Conventional treatment of this condition may involve the use of anti-inflammatory medication and muscle relaxants along with temporary lifestyle modification. Physiotherapy modalities that may be employed include laser therapy, TENS, interferential current, or ultrasound.
Since the elbow joint can get involved, chiropractic manipulation of the joint, for instance using Graston, active release, cross-fiber massage or other soft-tissue therapies, can be very helpful.
By doing a chiropractic adjustment, pressure is taken of the joint by briefly separarting the joint surfaces by just a couple of millimeters. Easing that pressure eases the pain. Sometimes some manipulation of the wrist can also help.
This is because the muscles that cause the elbow pain operate through the wrist. If the wrist tightens up, more muscular activity is needed to move it, thus causing more tension and more pain. So making sure that wrist motion is maintained should help to ease the whole situation.
Another therapy that can be very helpful is the use of an elbow band. This works by transferring the tendon’s tension from its attachment to the bone (where it causes the pain) to the band instead.
Also, though rest would be ideal, there may be times when lifting is needed to be done. In this case, one should only attempt to lift with the palm of the hand turned upward. This uses the wrist flexors more than the wrist extensors.
Limiting salt intake may be beneficial as well as it will help to reduce water resorption in the body. Supplementing with vitamin B6 has also been found to be helpful in some cases.
In closing, if you feel that you may have this ailment, the best course of action is to have it looked at by your medical doctor or chiropractor so that the best treatment plans can be started to assist in recovery.
