Tennis Elbow or Golfer Elbow is an injury to the muscles in the forearm, muscles responsible for extending the wrist & fingers.
It affects the lateral epicondyle of the humerus where the muscles in the forearm are attached via tendons.
Symptoms
Pain when performing gripping tasks
Pain when resisting fingers/wrist extension
Some may feel pain & stiffness in the neck as a sign of nerve irritation
Tennis Elbow Treatment
Physiotherapy has been shown to be effective in the short and long-term management of tennis elbow.
Physiotherapy aims to achieve a:
Reduction of elbow pain.
Facilitation of tissue repair.
Restoration of normal joint range of motion and function.
Restoration of normal muscle length, strength and movement patterns.
Normalisation of your upper limb neurodynamics.
Normalisation of cervical joint function.
There are many ways to achieve these and, following a thorough assessment of your elbow, arm and neck, your physiotherapist will discuss the best strategy for you to use based on your symptoms and your lifestyle. Results are typically measured through patient feedback and measurement of pain-free grip strength.
Physiotherapy treatment can include gentle mobilisation of your neck and elbow joints, electrotherapy, elbow kinesio taping, muscle stretches, neural mobilisations, massage and strengthening.
Untreated Tennis Elbows can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. You are also prone to recurrence.
Studies have shown physiotherapy to be the most effective way of managing Tennis Elbow when compared to steroid injections or giving of advice alone. In a recent study,
When given a 6/8 week course of physiotherapy comprising of 8/10 treatment sessions, most patients show significant improvement after 3 weeks, increasing to a 60% or greater recovery after 6 weeks of treatment. This improvement is shown to continue to around a 90% improvement at 12 months, even without further treatment.