NEW Tennis Elbow Therapy

Tennis elbow therapy enjoys the satisfaction of reducing the pain of tennis elbow on over 90% of the patients treated by conservative methods. There are some new and emerging therapies which will be reviewed in this article.

What is Tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow is tendinitis of the wrist extensor muscle, the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle. This condition is associated with sensation of burning on the outside portion of the elbow.

What causes tennis elbow?

The most common cause for tennis elbow is repetitive movements of the wrist from performing occupational duties. Often there is not a specific cause found for tennis elbow. Generally it begins due to a strain, direct bang type injury, or overuse.

Playing sports such as racket ball can put you at risk for tennis elbow. Other sports such as fencing and golfing also have some risks associated with tennis elbow. Occupations with high volume hand activity such as painters, carpenter, gardeners and carpenters.

Signs and Symptoms of Tennis Elbow

The most significant sign of tennis elbow is pain and tenderness upon touch along the outside portion of the elbow. The pain is associated with elbow movements. Pain can be experienced with gripping and the grip strength may be decreased. Severe tennis elbow can cause pain strong enough to disrupt sleep.

Method of Diagnosis?

Diagnosis is usually made based on presenting symptoms and a physical exam. Your doctor will usually test the elbow on the outside close to the protruding elbow bone for tenderness. Attention is placed upon the change in the level of pain upon bending the wrist against resistance back. There are other conditions which can create elbow pain. Your doctor may perform an examination of your neck to rule these other conditions out.

Tennis elbow therapy is focused on reducing inflammation and pain, enhancing the process of healing, and regaining flexibility and strength. There are three basic types of tennis elbow therapy including:

• No treatment
• Conservative treatment
• Surgical treatment

Tennis elbow presenting with minimal pain could improve by just discontinuing activities which tend to cause elbow overuse. Mild cases of tennis elbow can benefit from the use of ice on the painful elbow in addition to rest.

Conservative treatment

Conservative nonsurgical tennis elbow therapy includes Lifestyle changes, changing body mechanics , medication therapy, wrist brace and Cortisone injections.

Surgical treatment

After the more conservative treatment has failed to bring relief, surgical treatment may be the next treatment option. 6 months of conservative treatment is a sufficient trial before conceding failure with the conservative tennis elbow therapy. Between 90-95% of tennis elbow sufferers respond to nonsurgical tennis elbow therapy.

1. An interesting new way of treating tennis elbow is using TDP heat lamp. This lamp is used by many Chinese doctors to treat different ailments, but it can be used at home as well for tennis elbow. Click here to read more about this Lamp. It an effective clinic and home tennis elbow therapy.

2. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is one of the new therapies available. This therapy uses sound waves to cause tissue microtrauma. It is questionable if this tennis elbow therapy provides any real results.

3. Antilogous blood injection uses the patient's own blood to be injected in the area of the lateral epicondylitis. Investigation continues on this mode of therapy. Not sure whether this is good idea.