Physical therapy for tennis elbow

Millions of people play tennis, either on the weekends with friends or at a professional level. And while tennis can be fun, it can take a toll on the body. In fact, there’s an elbow injury that’s so common with tennis players that it was nicknamed after the sport. 

Tennis elbow is common across the globe, affecting about 2% of the population. The good news is that there are several physical therapy exercises and techniques that can alleviate the painful symptoms. That’s what we’re here to teach you about.

Read on to learn about the basics of tennis elbow and how physical therapy can help reduce the pain so that you can get back to your daily activities (or back on the court).

What is tennis elbow?

Lateral epicondylitis, often referred to as tennis elbow, is the irritation of the tissue that connects your elbow to the forearm muscle. The condition can be either inflammation or a microtear in the tendons. It’s classified as a repetitive strain injury, or an RSI, as it’s often caused by repeated arm and wrist movements.

It can be caused by short-term overuse, such as heavy lifting, which means putting excessive strain on the forearm muscles that have been otherwise underutilized and overwhelming the tendons.

It’s important to note that despite the nickname, tennis elbow can affect anyone, not just athletes. Since the injury comes from repetitive motions, it can affect people who have jobs that require completing the same movements over and over, such as:

• Carpenters.
• Plumbers.
• Painters.
• Butchers.
• Musicians.
• Desk workers who type for extended periods of time.

Symptoms of tennis elbow

Pain is the most prevalent sign of tennis elbow and stems from the tendons that attach the outside of the elbow to the forearm muscles. The affected tendons help control your wrist movements, which means the RSI can result in wrist pain, though it may affect your entire arm.

Symptoms of tennis elbow include:

• Pain or burning in your outer elbow.
• Pain or stiffness when you extend your arm.
• Pain while bending or twisting your arm.
• Swollen and/or tender elbow joint.
• Weakened/painful grip.

Physical therapy for tennis elbow

Elbow pain is a common reason that people seek physical therapy. If you’re looking to alleviate your painful tennis elbow symptoms, then physical therapy is a treatment option that you should explore. Not only can it help manage the pain, but it can also increase your muscle strength, flexibility and mobility that may be affected by the RSI. 

A physical therapist can help your tennis elbow with a variety of exercises and modalities. They can determine the best treatment plan based on the severity of your symptoms.

Three physical therapy techniques for tennis elbow are:

• Ice treatment — Applying ice to an injury is often one of the first treatment options that health care professionals recommend. Ice numbs the area and decreases blood circulation to decrease your pain and potential swelling. 

• Joint mobilization — Your elbow is a large hinge joint, so an effective way to treat an injury like tennis elbow is by manipulating the joint to help alleviate pain and increase mobility. Joint mobilization is a common manual therapy technique that involves the physical therapist using their hands to maneuver the joint around until they find the restrictive tissue. Once it’s found, the therapist is able to break up the tissue to release the painful tension and help restore your joint’s range of motion.

• Targeted exercises — One of the most effective ways that physical therapy helps alleviate tennis elbow symptoms is through specific exercises. A therapist will walk you through exercises that will strengthen your forearm muscles and help you restore their function. They will also show you stretching exercises to increase the range of motion and flexibility in your tendons as well as decrease the risk of future injury. 

Advent PT can provide physical therapy for tennis elbow

Tennis elbow can interfere with your quality of life by making it difficult to do simple tasks such as holding a pen or extending your arms to reach something on a high shelf. But physical therapy can help your tennis elbow by not only alleviating the painful symptoms but restoring your arm’s mobility so that you can get back to your daily routine. And that’s where we come in.

Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.