Tennis elbow is one of the overuse injuries that can affect the elbow, As playing
tennis is one cause of tennis elbow — but many other common activities
can cause tennis elbow.
The pain of tennis elbow occurs primarily where the tendons of the
forearm muscles attach to the bony prominence on the outside of the
elbow. Pain can also spread into the forearm and
wrist.
Symptoms of Tennis elbow may include:
■Pain that radiates from the outside of the elbow into your forearm
and wrist
■Pain on extending the wrist
■weakness of forearm
■Pain that gets worse over weeks or months
■A painful grip during certain activities, such as shaking hands or
turning a doorknob , driving vehicles
■An inability to hold certain objects, such as a coffee cup
The pain of tennis elbow is similar to golfer's elbow. But golfer's
elbow occurs on the inside — rather than on the outside.
■The elbow may be hot and inflamed,with fever
■Difficult bending of elbow
Causes of Tennis elbow
Tennis elbow is an overuse injury. The cause is repeated contraction
of the forearm muscles that are used to straighten and raise the hand
and wrist. The repeated motions and stress to the tissue may result in
inflammation , or a series of tiny tears in the tendons that attach the
forearm muscles to the bone at the outside of your elbow.
As the name tennis elbow indicates, playing tennis — particularly,
repeated use of the backhand stroke with poor technique — is one
possible cause of the condition. However, many other common arm
motions, including using plumbing tools, painting, raking and weaving,
can cause tennis elbow
ComplicationsLeft untreated, tennis elbow can result in chronic pain — especially
when lifting or gripping objects. Using your arm too strenuously
before your elbow has healed can make the problem worse.
Tests and diagnosis
The doctor may be able to diagnose tennis elbow by examining the elbow and based on the medical history. To evaluate pain and
stiffness, the doctor may apply pressure to the affected area or ask
the patient to move your elbow, wrist and fingers in various ways.
An X-ray can help your doctor rule out other possible causes of elbow
pain, such as a fracture or arthritis.
Homoeopathic Treatment: Following medicines may prove to be beneficial as per totality of symptoms , constitution and miasm .
Natrum mur , Gelsemium , Ruta , Arnica , Rhus tox ,Natrum sulph , Magnesia phos ,Calcarea phos ,Zincum met , Symphytum , Alumina , Bryonia , Sarsaparilla , Pulsatilla , Mezerium etc.
Physiotherapy and exercise
■Analyzing the way of using arm. The physiotherapist may suggest to determine the
best steps to reduce stress on your injured tissue. By keeping your wrist rigid during tennis strokes, lifting or weight training, you use the larger muscles in the
upper arm, which are better able to handle loading stress.
■Exercises.Physiotherapist may suggest exercises
to gradually stretch and strengthen the muscles, especially the
muscles of the forearm.
■Orthotics. The doctor may also suggest you wear straps or braces to
reduce stress on the injured tissue.
Other treatments for tennis elbow are under investigation. Some
treatments being studied include buffered platelet-rich plasma
injections, acupuncture, botulinum toxin and topical nitric oxide.
Lifestyle and home remedies
■Protection. Protect your elbow from further injury by not using the
joint. If a particular sport or work activity causes symptoms, you may
have to stop the activity until your symptoms improve.
■Ice. Use a cold pack, ice massage, slush bath or compression sleeve
filled with cold water to limit swelling after an injury. Try to apply
ice as soon as possible after the injury.
■Compression. Use an elastic wrap or bandage to compress the injured
area.
■Rest. Give elbow a rest. But don't avoid all activity.
Sometimes, wearing a forearm splint at night helps reduce morning
symptoms.
■Elevation. Keep elbow above heart level when possible to help
prevent or limit swelling.
Prevention
These steps may help you prevent a tennis elbow injury:
■Review the game technique. Have a tennis professional review your
technique to see if you're using the proper motion.
■Build the strength. Prepare for any sport season with appropriate
preseason conditioning. Do strengthening exercises with a hand weight
by flexing and extending your wrists. Letting the weight down slowly
after extending the wrist is one way of building strength so that
force is absorbed into the tissue.
■Keep your wrist straight. During any lifting activity — including
weight training — or during tennis strokes, try to keep the wrist
straight and rigid. Let the bigger, more powerful muscles of your
upper arm do more of the work than your smaller forearm muscles do.
■Warm up properly. Gently stretch the forearm muscles at your wrist
before and after use.
■Use ice. After heavy use of your arm, apply an ice pack or use ice
massage. For ice massage, fill a sturdy paper or plastic foam cup with
water and freeze it. Then, roll the ice directly on the outside of
your elbow in a circular motion for five to seven minutes
