Tennis Elbow, known by physiotherapists as lateral epicondylitis, causes thousands of painters, plumbers, carpenters and computer programmers pain and discomfort all around the world. Tennis elbow is somewhat of a misnomer considering only 5% of tennis elbow cases are actually linked directly to tennis! Most new cases are actually due to heavy computer use. Maybe a more apt name for modern tennis elbow cases would be Computer Elbow. Tennis elbow is one of the most common overuse injuries seen by musculoskeletal physiotherapists, with many cases leading to joint inflammation, increased stress on the arm and pain when gripping and lifting things. Much of the ongoing pain caused by tennis elbow is only due to not getting it treated earlier.

Tennis Elbow pain is usually focused where the forearm meets the elbow joint on the outside of the arm. Compared to Golfer’s Elbow which normally affects the inside of the arm. Excessive use of wrist extensors and forearm supinators can cause small tears to develop on the elbow end of the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) muscle. When this pain first starts to occur is when your Lane Cove physio should hear about it, but the reality is that many people just grin and bear the pain, only causing themselves more problems in the long run. With these tips you will be able to help protect yourself from tennis elbow and cut down the length and intensity of your pain considerably.

Your Lane Cove physiotherapist will ask you a number of questions on your first visit to help ascertain the cause of your injury and any other exacerbating factors, please try and think of these things:
• When your symptoms began
• If any motion or activity makes the pain better or worse
• Any recent direct injuries
• What medications or supplements you take
This allows us to help build a profile of the injury and lets us get stuck into creating your personalised recovery program and get you on the road to recovery.

Stop using it and focus on recovery

If you are currently experiencing pain in your elbow, take a cold compress wrapped in a towel and place it against your elbow for a few minutes several times a day. This can help ease the pain and any accompanying swelling. Keep in mind that tendons heal slowly. Sports physiotherapists advise that tennis elbow can last from anywhere between weeks and years depending on how well it is managed. The simplest way to recover from tennis elbow is to cut back on the movement/s causing it. This can be hard for those of you who perform this movement every day for work. You may need to modify your movements and focus on using other muscle groups more effectively. If you are at the point where your elbow has been experiencing ongoing pain, in the long term you statistically have a longer recovery period and more chance of recurrence than someone undergoing a rehabilitation program with a physiotherapist . Your lane cove physiotherapist has expert knowledge on recovery and prevention methods.

Make ergonomic adjustments to your workspace

If you spend hours every day on your computer or sitting at your desk, making some adjustments to your computer workstation may be what you need to get rid of your computer elbow. Keyboards are a large contributor to these issues, with many people raising the back of the keyboard so that it slopes downwards. Having the keyboard in this position places your wrists into an extension position; causing the extensor muscles of your forearm to contract, extra pressure on your wrists and fast-tracking your way to pain. A gel pad is a good defender against this problem, as is a comfortable chair with an ergonomic design.

Take time to stretch and strengthen the local area

Lane Cove physiotherapy recommends a number of stretches and strengthening exercises designed to help prevent a recurrence of pain. An effective stretch involves simply extending the painful arm with your palm down, bending your wrist so your fingers point toward the ceiling, with the other hand pull your fingers back toward your body. You will feel the stretch under your forearm. Relax the stretch, point your fingers down and pull your fingers toward you until you feel the stretch in the muscles and tendons on the top of your forearm. Rinse and repeat. Strengthening the wrist with a simple exercise known as the ‘towel twist’ is also an effective preventative measure. Hold a loosely rolled-up towel with one hand at each end, twist the towel by moving your hands in opposite directions like you’re wringing out water, make sure you keep your shoulder and neck relaxed and repeat 9 more times before twisting in the opposite direction for the same number of repetitions.
Tennis elbow is not an injury to leave unattended. Physiotherapists see too many patients who have caused themselves ongoing pain and discomfort simply due to not having the issue seen to earlier. If you are suffering from pain or stiffness in your elbow or forearms it is prudent to make an appointment with your local physio to have a full evaluation of the injury.

Visit : https://www.lanecovephysio.com.au