Tennis has always been a popular sport for the people of Florida. The warm climate and internationally renowned tennis facilities available make it an attractive pastime for all ages. What is not a welcoming factor is the injuries that you can sustain from playing tennis regularly. None has proved more troublesome than tennis elbow. Mauricio Chiropractic has been helping patients who suffer from this sports injury for decades. 

Chiropractic Care for Tennis Elbox

What Is Tennis Elbow?

Also known as Lateral Epicondylitis, it is a common injury to the forearm related to a muscle and tendons at the end of the elbow.  Usually the injury is caused by repetitive motion in the wrist and arm. The muscle, the ECBR muscle can develop small tears, leading to inflammation and stress on the surrounding areas.  If untreated, the condition can become chronic, meaning that it will persist long term.

What Causes Tennis Elbow?

Tennis elbow, surprisingly isn’t always caused by playing tennis.   While the injury is named after tennis for a reason, there are other ways to get “tennis elbow”.  These can include plumbing, cooking and painting and more. Tennis Elbow is ultimately caused by repetitive movement in the wrist and arm.  Tennis Elbow affects a large percentage of the population, but surprisingly, less than 5% of reported cases are actually tennis injuries.

What Are the Symptoms?

The pain associated with Tennis Elbow begins on the bony knob on your elbow, and radiates downward into your wrist and forearm.  Around this knob is where injured tendons connect to the bone, and the pain can radiate into your upper and lower arm. Pain and tenderness can range from moderate to severe, but as symptoms surface, it can make the motion that originally caused the injury, much worse.  

Tasks that are more difficult with tennis elbow can include lifting things, making a fist or gripping an object, shaking hands and more.  Unfortunately, whatever exercise or movement caused the Tennis Elbow, continuing to do that movement will only increase the severity of the symptoms.  

How Cure It?

Curing this condition can be dependent upon the level of severity.  Like most injuries, if they are not very severe, they can heal on their own, especially with rest.  Sometimes physical therapy can be helpful as patients can learn exercises to help strengthen the muscles in surrounding areas.  If problems persist, patients can be given platelet-rich plasma or dry needling. If symptoms continue to persist for over six months, surgery can be recommended to reduce damaged tissue.  Following surgery, patients will need to go through rehabilitation to rebuild muscle and tissues.

How to Help Prevent It?

Stretching and strengthening the wrist and forearm muscles can keep you healthy and out on the tennis court.  If you can limit the amount of use, it will help, but if that is not an option, wearing an arm brace for support can help.  If you play a lot of tennis you can learn to use more of your shoulder and upper arm muscles to swing, taking some pressure off of muscles.

Chiropractic Care For Tennis Elbow

Understanding the causes of tennis elbow is the first step in realizing what activities are resulting in further damage. Our doctors of chiropractic will fully assess your condition and create a personalized physical therapy program that will get you back on the court in no time. If you would like a consultation you can make an appointment in one of our nine chiropractic clinics. We look forward to treating you.

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