Tennis Elbow

By Aaron Woolley, Physiotherapist.

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that affects the tendons in the elbow joint. It is characterised by pain and tenderness on the outer part of the elbow and forearm. This condition is usually caused by overuse of the lateral forearm tendons, resulting in small tears within the tendon that attaches to the lateral epicondyle of the humerus bone (upper arm). Tennis elbow can be debilitating and painful, and can affect everyday activities that involve gripping and lifting. Thankfully, high-quality physiotherapy treatment that is provided at Robina Physio on the Gold Coast can be highly effective at treating this condition and get you functioning again normally without pain.

Symptoms of Tennis Elbow

The primary symptom of tennis elbow is pain and tenderness on the outer part of the elbow, which may radiate down the forearm. The pain is often aggravated by gripping or lifting objects, twisting the forearm, or even by simply shaking hands. Other symptoms of tennis elbow may include stiffness (particularly in the AM), weakness, and difficulty performing everyday tasks.

Treatment for Tennis Elbow

Physiotherapy rehabilitation for tennis elbow can be very effective in reducing pain and improving function. A physiotherapist will work with you to develop an individualised rehabilitation program that may include exercises to strengthen the forearm muscles and tendons, manual therapy techniques including massage and dry needling/acupuncture and some taping and bracing techniques to help reduce pain and improve mobility.

Strengthening exercises for tennis elbow are designed to improve the strength and endurance of the forearm muscles and most importantly gradual load the tendon to restore the tendons tissue tolerance. We typically start with extensor muscles contractions in an isometric nature then progress to contraction through range of motion. From here the physiotherapists at Robina Physio on the Gold Coast will build the functional loading of the muscles and tendons.

Resting your injury is not always the best treatment. Quite often people simply rest and wait for the pain to diminish. Unfortunately, this is not an effective long-term solution as while the tendon is resting the tissue tolerance of the tendons diminishes as well. Meaning once you load it again the pain returns much quicker. The best approach is to slightly decrease your loading of the injured area but not completely stop using it. The physio’s at Robina Physiotherapy on the Gold Coast are experts at training/load modification and can help get your loading patterns right.

The research for physiotherapy treatment is positive and has shown that patients who received physio rehabilitation consisting of manual therapy, stretching exercises, and strengthening exercises experienced significant improvements in pain, function, and grip strength compared to those who received only a corticosteroid injection. Another study published in the Journal of Hand Therapy found that a combination of manual therapy and exercise therapy was more effective in reducing pain and improving function in patients with tennis elbow compared to exercise therapy alone.

If you’re struggling with Tennis Elbow don’t hesitate to get your treatment started as early intervention typically equates to better and quicker outcomes. Our expert Physiotherapists at Robina Physio on the Gold Coast would love to help. Contact Us on (07) 55787233 or BOOK ONLINE.