All about tennis elbow
Those in the medical profession would call this condition ‘lateral epicondylitis’. But everyone else would know it as tennis elbow. Although its name comes from the sport, only a small number of those diagnosed get the condition from playing tennis.
Where the pain is located
Judging by the name, the pain is centred around the elbow area. More specifically, however, the pain radiates from the outside of the arm, where the elbow meets the forearm. The pain of tennis elbow comes from inflammation in the tendons at the end of a muscle, near your elbow. This can put stress on your arm, causing pain and difficulty in lifting and gripping.
Who it affects
Tennis elbow is a relatively common injury, affecting up to 3% of the population. It most commonly affects adults between 30 to 50 years of age. As mentioned above, tennis is not the only cause of the condition.
What are the causes
Tennis elbow is similar to many other repetitive strain injuries. This means that a repeated motion of the same area of the body causes stress and inflammation to the muscle or tendon. Tennis is a one example of the type of motion that can cause this injury – the repeated backhand motion causes muscles to contract in the forearm. Other racquet sports, as well as other repetitive motions such as tree pruning, painting or repetitive factory work can all be common culprits.
The good news is if you take action on tennis elbow early enough, treatment is effective. A qualified Chiropractor can help correct it in conjunction with appropriate rest, stretches and exercises.