Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is a commonly used phrase, referring to acute pain in the elbow joint.
Although it has a long history of being associated with tennis, there is little scientific and medical support to back this up, as anyone of any age even if they have never played tennis can suffer the injury. It is, however, more likely to occur to tennis players. The phrase tennis elbow is also often used to describe tendonitis of the wrist or elbow tendons, though this is a slightly different condition from the true nature of tennis elbow.
The problem arises from hitting, as said in a recent study, “thousands and thousands of tennis balls”. The repeated motion of swinging for the ball, which tennis players can do hundreds of times a day, can cause tiny tears in the tendons around the elbow. However, these tears are not permanent and following a decent period of rest can heal without outside intervention.
There is little that can be done to prevent tennis elbow; even something as extreme are stopping playing tennis altogether does not mean the problem will occur. Tennis elbow is simply something that must be dealt with appropriately when it happens, and with proper rest and recuperation there is no reason for it to become chronic. No professional tennis player has ever retired due to problems caused by tennis elbow.
The main symptoms include pain in the elbow joint, pain when flexing fingers, stiffness in the joint and activities that involve the extension of the wrist (such as reaching to return a shot) become extremely painful. In some cases, the bone part of the elbow will also be tender to the touch. Should you have any of these problems for more than two days in a row, it may be time to seek medical help, for a diagnosis and treatment plan.
When diagnosed, the main treatment for tennis elbow is rest, which allows the tears in the tendon to heal naturally. If the problem is a little more serious, anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen are recommended for pain relief. Heat and ice are also used. For ongoing cases, therapies such as ultrasound treatment and acupuncture are used, with varying degrees of success. Following an occurrence of tennis elbow, many players use an elbow-support strap, though this can prove to be cumbersome.
For the younger player, however, tennis elbow need not be a big worry. The condition predominantly appears in adults between the ages of 30 and 60. And just make sure that should you be unlucky enough to be one of the younger sufferers, rest is the best medicine.
