Tennis Elbow

The symptoms for tennis elbow and golfers elbow are:

• Pain or aching in the outside or inside of the elbow often referring down the side of the arm into the muscle bellys
• Pain that is aggravated by lifting with an outstretched arm or twisting the elbow.
• Pain with gripping that is specifically in the elbow
• Pain at rest after using the elbow
• Weakness with grip for normal daily tasks
  

The elbow tendon on the outside is often referred to as 'tennis elbow' and the tendon on the inside of your elbow is referred to as 'golfers elbow'. These can both be injured through overuse, poor gripping technique, weakness in both the forearm and shoulder muscles, or through trauma. Elbow tendinopathy is common in overhead sports as well as any repeated manual task of reaching or lifting and using tools with an outstretched arm. Elbow tendon tears can occur if the tendons are overloaded with both repetitive tasks or a sudden movement, they are also susceptible to the process of aging.

Suggestions for managing elbow tendon injury

• Staying active as advised by your Physiotherapist and modification of how you use your elbow
• Taping from your physiotherapist to improve your elbow posture in the early stage, this assists in teaching you how to use the correct muscles and assists in reducing pain in the elbow tendons
• Gentle exercises to strengthen the forearm muscles as well as the shoulder may be required

If you have been injured at work or in sport, our practitioners have approved conditioning programs that will get you back on track sooner with your tailored exercise plan for your elbow tendon injury. Your practitioner may refer you to a Sports Physician for further investigations if your elbow injury does not respond in our suggested time frames.