Tennis Elbow(Lateral Epicondylitis)
“A Great Way to Get Rid of Pain in your Elbow. Improve your Strength and ability to use your arms without discomfort!”
What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis Elbow or medically known as lateral epicondylitis, is a painful condition of the elbow usually caused by overuse. The term is widely used although not many people get this from playing tennis or other racquet sports. Tennis elbow is an inflammation of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow. The forearm muscles and tendons become damaged from overuse. This leads to pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow making it difficult to lift objects, forcefully grasp items or even simply holding a cup of coffee.
What causes Tennis Elbow?
Your elbow is a joint made up of three bones. The upper arm bone is the humerus and two in the forearm are called the ulna and radius. There are bony protuberances at the bottom of the humerus called epicondyles. The bony protuberance on the outside of the elbow is called the lateral epicondyle. Muscles, ligaments, and tendons hold the elbow joint together. The muscles in your forearm extend your wrist and fingers. Your forearm tendons attach the muscles to bone on the lateral epicondyle. It is these muscles that may develop micro tears caused by repetitive activity.
Tennis Elbow is often the result of overuse although a specific injury may also be the cause.
The most common causes include:
1) Trauma or injury to the elbow causing swelling.
2) Repetitive/overuse of the arms and hands.
3) Playing racket sports.
4) Weightlifting
5) Occupational(Plumbers, Painters, Carpenters, Cooks, Musicians)
Impairments Tennis Elbow can cause:
Tennis Elbow can make the simplest of tasks seem difficult. Tasks like handling small objects, getting dressed, typing, mouse use, texting, driving or forceful grasping. Work productivity can decline due to pain. Alterations in lifting or carrying objects in attempt to minimize pain can lead to issues in other areas of the body such as the elbow and shoulder. Regular daily activities can become much more difficult and exhausting to perform because of Tennis Elbow symptoms. We rely heavily on being able to simply care for ourselves. When this becomes painful, the tendency is to avoid the pain, thus leading to more sedentary behavior. This decline in activity can affect the whole body by causing weakness of muscles, stiffness of joints and drop in energy levels.
Physiologically, the pain often stems from…
• Micro tears in the extensor muscles resulting in pain.
• Trauma to the elbow such as a fracture or sprain can cause increases in inflammation.
• Overuse or repetitive activities also cause increases in swelling.
• Improper hand and wrist positioning while at the computer.
When should I worry?
• If symptoms have been present for more than 7-14 days and do not appear to be improving.
• If you have taken drugs, such as an anti-inflammatory, but it no longer helps to reduce symptoms.
• If light use of your hands becomes more painful and progresses from just occasional pain to more prolonged pain while at rest.
When does it become an emergency?
• If you have pain at rest or unable to sleep through the night.
• If you begin having pain in other areas such as the shoulder, wrist and hand.
• If you start having progressively more severe pain that radiates up the arm.
• If you are unable to perform simple activities of daily living.
If you experience any of these symptoms, contact us immediately.
Traditional treatments that most try but are not as effective include:
• Drugs or anti-inflammatories
• Ice or Heat
• Generic Physical Therapy (ultrasound, electric stimulation, etc.)
• Steroid injections
If left untreated, Tennis Elbow can lead to SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONAL LOSSES.
In severe cases of Tennis Elbow, weakness and loss of function can occur and ultimately having to undergo surgery.
Try these Self-Tests to see if you have Tennis Elbow
There are 3 tests that can be done at home for Tennis Elbow.
1. Palpate elbow: Begin with elbow slightly flexed. Place opposite hand over elbow. Press fingers into muscles on outside of elbow.
2. Resistance test: Start by extending your arm out straight in front of you. Then place your other hand on the back of the extended hand. Now try to push against that hand, trying to bend it. Resist the force applied by your second hand, with your lateral epicondylitis arm in the opposite direction.
3. Lift test: With your elbow fully extended out in front of you and using thumb, index and middle finger lift an object that is at least 1-2 pounds.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a complete diagnostic test. It may be necessary to have a full evaluation by a physical therapist to get a more accurate diagnosis.
“How do you treat or prevent Tennis Elbow and return to pain-free exercising, sports and recreation?”
My revolutionary “Tennis Elbow Solutions” program helps to get rid of symptoms quickly. Many get relief after the first session. Depending on the complexity of your condition (how long you have had it, severity of symptoms, other medically related factors such as diabetes), it may take up to 6-12 sessions to fix.
I discovered this solution while working with hundreds of patients who have suffered from Tennis Elbow. As I treated their Tennis Elbow, I noticed that there was not only improvement in pain levels, but there was also an improvement in arm strength.
Through research and treatment, I discovered the importance of stretching the tendons and muscles. This stretch helped relax the muscles and decrease the pain, along with increasing blood flow to the area to speed up the healing process.
By the way, this treatment is all-natural. There are no drugs with harmful side effects. There are no painful injections. Most importantly, there is absolutely no surgery involved. It’s all done through proper movement and challenging muscles in a functional way.
This discovery has led to a dramatic increase in how fast my patients got better. They were able to be active again. They were able to gain strength and function that they never had before. They were able to play sports, participate in recreation, work, and live their life again!
Not all treatments are the same.
Not all traditional Tennis Elbow treatments lead to improving your level of function. Believe it or not, some do not address these other areas and muscles that help to get you to the next level and keep you there! Not all practitioners treat elbow pain and Tennis Elbow the same and not all treatments target these muscle groups properly and effectively.
My method is highly unique. I focus on creating balance of all muscle groups that feed into your elbow pain (looking more at the entire body rather than just the elbow itself) to get quick, maximum results.
My years of experience and research has led to the discovery of this revolutionary new way to stop Tennis Elbow pain in almost anyone of any age, body type, or condition.
“How quickly will I see results?”
1. Most feel better immediately. You can expect the pain and mobility of your wrist and hand to improve after the very first session.
2. You could see an improvement in strength, dexterity and coordination after just 1-2 weeks with this program.
3. Most are finished with the program in 6 sessions and then continue on their own with the “next step” progressions that are provided to each participant. Some conditions are more complex and require 12 sessions.
“What’s my next step?”
If your serious about getting rid of Tennis Elbow pain call us directly at (301)356-5500.