How To Overcome Tennis Elbow And Keep Playing?

The tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the outside of the elbow become sensitive and painful as a result of the tennis elbow. When the tendons and muscles in the forearm and the region around the elbow are under stress, elbow discomfort is frequently experienced.

Tennis elbow is characterized by pain on the outside of the elbow. Typically, this soreness is not induced by tennis play. Due to the repetitive nature of tennis, many tennis players suffer from this ailment. Tennis elbow is thought to affect 50% of professional tennis players at some point.

Symptoms

Tennis elbow is chronic pain on the outside of the upper arm, close to where the arm bends at the elbow. Additionally, the pain may travel down the arm and into the wrist.

It can be painful to raise or bend the arm. It can be seen in the most simple things, like holding a pen or pencil, and in the most complicated.

When you have tennis elbow, twisting your forearm causes pain in your elbow or wrist. This is visible while attempting to open a door or completely extend the forearm.

Causes

Tennis elbow is caused by repeatedly making ineffective arm movements. Therefore, the connection of the tendon at the elbow may sustain some damage. This involves repeatedly hitting the tennis ball as hard as possible with a racquet.

If you swing your racquet incorrectly, the force will be transferred via your wrist rather than the ball. Therefore, the action occurs at the wrist as opposed to the elbow or shoulder. Consequently, the tendon may experience increased pressure, discomfort, and oedema.

When this tendon ruptures, the extensor muscles commonly experience pain. When you stretch your wrist, extensor muscles are utilized.

Tennis elbow occurs when the wrist and fingers are overstretched in sports such as racquetball, this type of motion results in a “snap” or wrist flick.

Diagnosis

Tennis elbow can be diagnosed with a simple at-home examination.

Place your palms on the chair’s back and lock your elbows. You could attempt to sit in it.

If you suffer from tennis elbow, this motion may aggravate your condition.

An MRI or X-ray may be necessary to rule out more serious problems such as arthritis or elbow joint injuries. In contrast, imaging is rarely required. Before asking about pain, the best orthopaedic in Gurgaon will check how well the patient can move the affected arm.

Typically, this is sufficient to remove the tennis elbow.

An MRI may reveal the muscles, tendons, and soft tissues within the arm, whereas X-rays cannot. This may be the next step if the pain on the outside of the elbow does not improve after a year of non-invasive treatment.

Electromyography (EMG) can determine whether nerves are being compressed.

Therapy

Numerous self-care and therapy choices are medically supervised.

Rest:

There should be an armrest. If you give the damaged tendon attachment time to relax, it may be able to repair itself. Ice, painkillers, soft tissue massages, stretches, and ultrasound therapy are all used to treat serious tennis injuries.

Physical Therapy:

Physical therapists frequently advise racquet sports participants to strengthen their shoulders, upper arms, and abs. So, when the arms and shoulders are moving, the wrist extensors may be used less often.

Ice Massages and Muscle Stimulation:

These techniques also help contribute to the healing of muscles.

Taping or Locking:

By holding the spot, muscle fibres can realign, and pressure can be eased. The best orthopaedic in Gurgaon may recommend that you wear an elbow splint for two to three weeks.

Intramuscular Steroid Administration:

The best orthopaedic in Gurgaon may give a steroid injection to a patient who is in a lot of pain and can’t move because of their illness.

When recovering from a steroid injection, the arm must rest and not be used excessively.

Surgery:

If the symptoms do not improve after six to twelve months of non-surgical treatment, this procedure may be required to remove the injured tendon and relieve the pain. Between 80% and 95% of individuals recover without surgery.

A wrist splint or arm brace may be necessary to prevent the tendons from worsening. It is simple to remove while relaxing or sleeping. A physician or nurse may recommend the appropriate brace or splint.

Exercises

Utilizing weights or elastic bands to advance through a series of strengthening exercises can be extremely helpful. You may strengthen your forearm and grip strength without experiencing pain.

Many people who had tennis elbow got better after their doctor in the best orthopaedic hospital in Gurgaon gave them a series of dumbbell exercises.

Regular exercise helps alleviate the pain and weakness caused by tennis elbow.

If you want to begin exercising but are terrified of pain, have no fear. Stretching lightly is a terrific way to ease into your routine. To treat tennis elbow, stretching and strengthening exercises should be performed daily. Start with lighter weights and make the exercises harder until you can’t do more than ten reps.

Prevention

Tennis elbow can be avoided if you pay close attention to how you move when you work out or do something physical.

The wrist and elbow muscles would benefit from rest, while the shoulder and upper arm muscles would be utilized.

Before playing tennis, squash, or any other arm-intensive sport, it is essential to perform a thorough warm-up. By slowly stretching the arms, you can keep the muscles from tightening up too much.

Using lighter equipment, such as athletic gear or racquets with bigger grips, will aid in reducing tendon tension. Old or wet tennis balls place an excessive amount of strain on the arm of the player.

Strengthening your forearm muscles will make it easier to move your arms and prevent conditions like tennis elbow.

A physiotherapist can tell you which exercises will help you build up the amount of muscle you want.