What is Tennis Elbow & How Can Physical Therapy Treat It?
Tennis elbow, or lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET), is a common though debilitating condition. It can affect tennis players, golfers, weightlifters, and those in professions that involve repetitive motion or grip and twist activities, such as painters, carpenters, plumbers, musicians, autoworkers, cooks, and computer programmers. The condition affects men more often than women and those in the 35-to-50-year-old-age range.
What is tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow is an inflammation of the muscles of the forearm involving swollen tendons that create pain in the outer elbow, forearm, and wrist. It is an overuse injury caused by repetitive activities. Symptoms of tennis elbow include pain and burning on the outside of the elbow and weakened grip strength. Symptoms generally develop gradually and can worsen over weeks or months.
How to Treat Tennis Elbow
Step 1: Treat Pain to Reduce Inflammation
When experiencing tennis elbow, the first step is to reduce inflammation by resting the irritated muscles and tendons from aggravating activities and by using ice and compression to reduce swelling.
Step 2: Physical Therapy & Therapeutic Exercise
Once inflammation has decreased, the second step is to begin working with a physical therapist who will guide the patient in performing gentle exercises to strengthen the muscles of the forearm and prevent reoccurrence of the condition. The goal of physical therapy is to improve the strength and flexibility of the patient’s forearm muscles.
During the physical therapy session, the therapist will first work to ease any pain through ice massage, muscle stimulation, taping, braces, or ultrasound. Once pain has decreased, the physical therapist will work with the patient on a variety of low-impact, high-repetition therapeutic exercises to strengthen specific muscle groups and restore function of the elbow. The exercises will strengthen the wrist extensor and wrist flexor muscles, the forearm muscles, and the muscles in the hand in order to regain a strong grip.
These exercises can include:
Isometric Wrist Extension with Elbow Flexion
Reverse Wrist Curl with Low Resistance
Eccentric Wrist Extension
Ball Squeeze
Finger Stretch
Wrist Extensor Stretch [These muscles are responsible for bending the wrist.]
Wrist Flexor Stretch [This muscle group works opposite the wrist extensors.]
Forearm Strengthening
Physical Therapy Treatments for Tennis Elbow
Manual therapy is another physical therapy treatment that can be used to treat tennis elbow. Manual therapy involves movement of the joint or muscles and can include joint mobilization, manipulation, or massage. It uses soft tissue release techniques to release tightness in opposing muscle groups (the flexors). Manual therapy combined with therapeutic exercise can reduce pain and stiffness and increase the joint mobility of the elbow.
Another physical therapy treatment option for tennis elbow is dry needling. Dry needling is the insertion of thin monofilament needles to treat muscles, ligaments, tendons, scar tissue, and pain. Case studies have shown dry needling significantly improves outcomes for patients experiencing tennis elbow.
Are you experiencing chronic elbow pain? Are you an athlete preparing to start tennis season or a golfer prepping for the first day on the course? At Mangiarelli Rehabilitation, we are here to help, whether you are preparing for your season and want to prevent tennis elbow from developing or you’re currently suffering from the condition. Call today to schedule your first appointment and start the journey to recovery!
