Pain on the outer side of the elbow is fairly common and is often referred to as “tennis elbow”. It can interfere with a person’s work, home life, and recreation. Of course, playing tennis is not necessary to cause the ailment.
The cause of tennis elbow is usually overuse, although trauma, such as banging the elbow against something can also cause it. Inflammation develops in muscles and tendons on the outer side of the forearm, where they attach to a bone in the elbow. In addition to the elbow, the pain can also be felt along those forearm muscles. Pain will often increase as the arm is used, even with only simple daily activities, such as brushing one’s teeth or opening doorknobs. Severe cases will cause almost constant pain or pain with simply extending the wrist or fingers.
Treatment consists of resting the arm, reducing inflammation, and eventually strengthening the muscles and tendons involved. If simply avoiding activity is not enough, a splint or cast may be prescribed. Many people find that a tennis elbow strap, available at many sporting goods stores or pharmacies, may offer temporary relief. Anti-inflammatory medicine is sometimes helpful. In physical therapy and sports medicine clinics, ultrasound and electrical muscle stimulation are often used. Ultrasound has been shown to relieve pain and inflammation, and speed the healing process. Electrical muscle stimulation can also relieve pain, although it does not replace exercise for the purpose of strengthening. Cold lasers (not surgical lasers) and superluminous infrared diode treatments are gaining popularity and have been adopted by professional sports teams and the military. The final step in recovery is a strengthening program designed for the elbow and forearm muscles. Great care must be taken, to assure that the prescribed exercises do not actually worsen the condition. This is where an experienced physical therapist come in handy. In extreme cases that do not respond to all of those treatments, surgery is sometimes performed to remove scar tissue that has formed.
Tony Oliveri is a licensed physical therapist who owns Oliveri Physical Therapy and Sports Training in Rochester
