Elbow Injury Rehabilitation

What do I need to do? How do I do it? When should I do it? How long is the rehabilitation for my tennis elbow going to take? The answer to the last question is - As long as it takes!!

The first thing to remember is that Tennis Elbow becomes a chronic problem if it isn't looked after properly.

In terms of tennis elbow rehabilitation, there is one absolute rule. You must do nothing until you are experiencing little or no pain, and then the rehabilitation process, and exercises can only proceed providing you have no pain in whatever exercise you are doing.

Before you can start playing tennis properly again you must have restored full strength and mobility to your elbow.

There are three different phases to your tennis elbow rehabilitation, and they can be summarized as follows.

The first phase is to reduce inflammation and pain. You need to do two things here, and the first is to begin the healing process whilst also preventing the associated muscles from wasting.

The process here has four distinct parts.

Rest which means avoiding overusing the injury. You must continue to use the muscles to ensure they don't waste, and a good blood supply is maintained. The activity must not be painful, if it hurts don't do it!!

Use Ice all the time until you return to full use, as it lessens inflammation.

Use compression and elevation as it helps the blood supply and also reduces swelling.

In the second phase of tennis elbow rehabilitation, exercise comes into play. It is important to increase your elbow strength, and endurance. You need to get the elbow to function again properly.

This flexibility is achieved primarily by extending the elbow gently without flexing it, and holding the extended position for up to 30 seconds, but NOT to the point of pain, and doing this perhaps twenty times a day.

To strengthen the elbow, sit with your elbow on your knee, and with a weight not exceeding 1 lb. In your hand, and palm downwards flex your wrist up and down slowly. Note that the elbow shouldn't move at all. Do exactly the same thing with your palm facing upwards.

Another useful exercise is to use a tennis ball, and squeeze it in your hand, and keep doing this. Remember that there should be no pain.

You should gradually increase the weight as your strength grows, and always use an ice pack afterwards.

The third phase is where you gradually return to playing whilst maintaining and increasing the second phase.

In terms of playing you shouldn't start until your symptoms are gone, but what you can do in combination with flexibility exercises is to just hit gentle forehands in succession and repeat this with backhands and lobs. If you start with fifteen minute sessions, and increase it to an hour, and you get no pain, then you can start to serve, and then return to competitive tennis.

Remember that in Tennis Elbow Rehabilitation there is no gain with pain!!

Do you know the tennis elbow affects millions of players ?!

While tennis elbow, known medically as lateral epicondylitis, is not limited to tennis players, it is estimated that one third of all tennis players will experience the condition at some point in their lives.
Anyone who engages in lifting at the elbow, or repetitive movements of the elbow and wrist, is likely to be susceptible to this condition, so naturally tennis players are at high risk.

The cause of pain from this condition is not a medical certainty, although it is believed that it is caused by small tears of the tendons attaching the forearm muscles to the bone at the elbow joint. It is the muscles of the forearm that are used to cock the wrist back - extensor carpi radialis brevis - that are the suspected culprits in this condition.

So how do you know you have tennis elbow and not some other painful condition?
Individuals with this ailment typically feel pain on the outside of their elbow, especially when grabbing an object and cocking back the wrist.
The pain is generally more severe when lifting something - although pain while resting should be expected - and it is often described as a pain that radiates down the forearm.
Pain from tennis elbow generally starts gradually, although it has been known to have a sudden onset as well.

If you believe that you are suffering from tennis elbow you should consult with your physician immediately.
Treatment for this condition is typically noninvasive, and over 90% of patients are successfully treated without surgery.
Tennis players can often address the problem through some subtle changes in their equipment and technique.

A good first step is to make sure that you are using a racket with a properly sized grip. Another option is to reduce the tension on your racket strings.
That reduction in string tension will soften the impact of the ball, and reduce twisting of the forearm during off-center hits.
Lastly, changing your actual tennis stroke can help reduce the negative impacts on your elbow as well.
Players who learn to swing without leading the racket with their elbow in a flexed position can often alleviate much of the condition and reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence.

There are noninvasive medical options that can address the pain of this condition as well. Anti-inflammatory drugs are used to combat both pain and inflammation.
If a regimen of anti-inflammatory drugs is not successful, cortisone injections are an option that has proven successful for some patients.

However, injections are not always successful and if relief does not come quickly then you are likely not going to be served by continued injections.
However, medication is not the only avenue that one can explore when trying to alleviate pain and discomfort in the elbow region.
Use of an elbow brace can reduce the strain placed on the elbow during the tennis stroke.

Sadly, if the aforementioned treatment options are not successful then surgery may be the only road to relief.
The good news is that surgery has a very high rate of success, and it is only required in a small percentage of patients.