Tennis Elbow – Its Causes, Signs, Symptoms And Treatment

At least half of tennis players experience tennis elbow, also called lateral epicondylitis in medical parlance, once in the course of their playing careers. Still, it can happen to anyone, hence it is important to know what causes and how to treat tennis elbow.

What causes it?

On record, tennis players only comprise 5% of those who develop tennis elbow. The remaining 95% are manual workers and individuals who performed motions they were unaccustomed to. It is a repetitive strain or overexertion disorder where the outer or lateral part of the elbow becomes sore and tender due to tiny tears in the forearm’s tendon attachment at the elbow. Not seeking medical management promptly can have adverse consequences, internal bleeding and chronic pain being some of them. This highlights further the importance of learning how to cure tennis elbow.

What are its signs and symptoms?

As with any inflammation, pain is also present with this lateral elbow syndrome. The pain is characterized as being on the outer part of the elbow which often radiates to the forearm and wrist. Grasping maneuvers such as during hand shake and torquing a doorknob are known to aggravate the pain response. Activities that involve flicking the wrists like pouring the contents of a pitcher can also trigger the same pain response. How do you cure tennis elbow?

There are several approaches on how to treat tennis elbow. Primarily, it involves temporarily discontinuing whatever activity has lead to it in order to allow the arm to rest and recuperate. While surgery is one method how to cure tennis elbow, doctors rarely prescribe it as non-invasive procedures are usually sufficient. Most doctors recommend therapies which aim to reduce pain and to increase muscle strength and flexibility to make the area more resilient to re-tearing. This is usually done by administering anti-inflammatory medications and doing simple stretching exercises, respectively. When necessary, doctors may require you to wear orthotic braces or to undergo physical therapy. Asking simply ‘how do you cure tennis elbow’ is not enough though, a better query is how you can prevent it from actually happening. Are there ways to prevent it?

The good thing is, there are ways to help lower your risk of getting tennis elbow. Remembering to stretch before a game, being mindful of correct playing techniques or proper body mechanics, along with selecting the equipment appropriate for you can preclude you from months of pain, both in your arms and in your pockets.

Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis happens to 5 out of 10 tennis players. It can also happen to you while performing daily activities and how do you cure tennis elbow. More resources on how to cure tennis elbow can be found here.