Although it is named tennis elbow, you don't have to be playing tennis to sustain this injury. This injury occurs when the tendons that connect the bones in your elbow to your lower arm muscles, become inflamed. Constantly repeating movements like tennis strokes, painting, and using heavy tools, can lead to inflammation of these muscles and tendons. A tennis elbow happens to 1 - 3% of the population and often occurs between 30 and 50 years old. It's a persistent injury that regularly lasts between 6 months and two years.
For those that are looking for quicker ways to get rid of this condition, we have put down a number of tips for treatment below:
Rest
It's a simple first step, but nevertheless important, try to let the elbow rest as much as possible. This condition is the result of overuse and repetition, so the less you use your elbow, the quicker it will recover.
If a certain hobby is to blame for the tennis elbow, it is recommended to switch to a different hobby or sportive activity that is less strenuous for your elbow until the complaints decrease. If the injury is caused by your work, it's way more difficult to give your elbow the rest it needs to recover. In that case, we can best recommend taking more breaks during your work. No matter what situation you're in, it's crucial that you try to learn yourself to put less strain on your elbow.
Support for your tennis elbow
For additional support to your elbow, we can best recommend wearing a tennis elbow support. They are made of breathable materials that fold to the shape of your body. After a while, you'll even forget that you're wearing a brace! However, you must choose a high-quality brace of which it is proven that it will give you positive results.
Controlling the pain of your tennis elbow
A tennis elbow is painful. Fortunately, there are many ways to relieve the pain while recovering.
An effective method is icing. Whether you use cold-packs or a bag of frozen peas, placing a cold object on your injured elbow can help to reduce the pain and swelling. Ideally, you have to do this several times a day at around 10 - 15 minutes every time.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is a great addition to the recovery program of a tennis elbow. By working together with a professional therapist, the blood supply to the damaged tendons can increase, which in turn expedites recovery.
Even after you have finished your therapy, we can recommend you to keep thinking of, and doing, the exercises your therapist has given you. If you do so, the risk of contracting a tennis elbow again will decrease.
