Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow or to give it its proper medical name, lateral epicondylitis, is a tenderness felt on the bony prominence of the ouside of the elbow joint.
The pain originates through over use of the extensor muscles in the patient’s forearm. These muscles are what are used when you ‘cock’ your wrist and fingers back.
The extensor muscles attach on the outside of the elbow (the lateral epicondyle) and are connected by a tendon. Tendons connect muscles to bones enabling the bones to move accordingly. It is this area of attachment which gets inflamed causing the pain.
Often the pain felt will extend down through the muscles to the wrist. Sometimes these muscles will go into spasm adding to the pain. Frequent gripping can exacerbate the problem.
It’s Not Just For Tennis Players!
Although known as tennis elbow it is not limited to tennis players. Numerous other forms of repetitive activity can lead to tennis elbow.
At Touch2Heal, we have encountered all of these as causes of tennis elbow. Carrying heavy shopping bags and suitcases, plumbing, driving screws, decorating, gardening and the playing of other racket sports.
Osteopathy and acupuncture are effective treatments for tennis elbow especially in combination. Our practitioners will advise on the best course of treatment for you and what you can do to help yourself also.
Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen can help reduce the pain, whilst hot and cold treatment can can boost the blood flow to the area alleviating the inflammation. A compression strap may also prove helpful.
Tennis Elbow Treatment
At Touch2Heal our practitioners use all the tools at their disposal to treat tennis elbow including joint mobilisation, deep soft tissue work and needling techniques.
Our practitioners will also advise on some simple exercises aimed to relieve the condition. They can also advise on ergonomic changes to your activities that might help.
We run regular clinics in Ashford, Kent. If you are suffering tennis elbow then call us today to see how we can help you.
Testimonials
I’ve been a carpenter by trade for 30 years so the last thing I thought I would get would be tennis elbow. However the pain came on really badly whenever I used a screwdriver. I went to see Cecile who had treated my ankle successfuly before and after a course of osteopathy and acupuncture I’m a lot better. Cecile asked if I had changed anything and I realised it coincided with a change of screwdrivers I was using. It seems that it came about due to a difference in handle size so I’ve gone back to using my old models.
Alan Sunderland, Ashford
