What is Tennis Elbow otherwise known as Lateral Epicondylitis?
Tennis elbow is a pain felt on the outside of the elbow brought on in most cases by an injury to the muscles that extend the wrist and fingers. Most people experience a gradual onset of pain that comes and goes unexpectedly at first then gradually becomes more noticeable and in many instances becomes a constant aching sensation around the area. While the pain is usually localized around the outside of the elbow, you may also feel stiffness along the top of the forearm too.
What causes Tennis Elbow?
Tennis Elbow is caused by a tear in the muscles or tendons that are responsible for gripping, or in other words opening and closing our hand. The muscles or tendons are not able to cope with the stress that is being put on them either by daily activities, such as playing tennis, golfing, carrying heavy bags, spending a lot of time typing on a keyboard etc...
This type of injury is commonly referred to as a Repetitive Strain Injury which means that it is not caused by a sudden trauma but by repetitive micro traumas over a longer period of time.
What is the best treatment for Tennis Elbow?
The first goal of osteopathic treatment is to allow the tendon to heal, release the muscle contractions and fascial adhesions and mobilise the joints which stops the muscles from over contracting and pulling on the injured tendon. The next step is to build the muscles and tendons stronger and more reciliante with rehab programs built for lateral epicondylitis. Here at Move Easy Osteopathy Clinic we treat Tennis Elbow with the following three step approach:
- Osteopathic Manual Treatment unblocks and restores normal function in the hand, arm, shoulder and neck which are the most common root causes of this condition.
- Shock-Wave Therapy speeds up recovery time by up to 80%.
- Rehab exercises according to a Heavy, Slow Resistance Training Protocol.
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