Tennis elbow is inflammation or, in some cases, microtearing of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow. The forearm muscles and tendons become damaged from overuse — repeating the same motions again and again. This leads to pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow.

Golfer’s elbow in tennis is a generic term for pain felt on the medial aspect of the elbow and involves the flexor tendons and muscles of the elbow. Often what you’ll find is they’ll be pinpoint tender and sore right on the medial epicondial and the forearm flexor muscles running down this side of the arm will as well be very stiff and tight and give pain often times going to the wrist. A Local Physiotherapist 

Initial treatment should involve RICE, so applying ice is very, very important; but also if we get rid of some of the tension on the muscles, it helps to decrease the pull on to the tendon attachment. Using a small ball like this and doing some massage work on it will help to decrease the tension on those muscles and decrease the pull on to the tendon attachment. To help treat golfer’s elbow, I think one of the most important things is to go and see a local physiotherapist. They can help you and give you stretches and strength exercises to overcome this common problem.  Often seeing a local family physician or a physiotherapist in conjunction with a registered dietitian and athletic therapist is a great option to take control of this condition. Smart Food Now and exercise is also optominal for overall health. If you have questions about golfer’s elbow in tennis, contact your local physiotherapist.

Presenter: Mr. Carl Petersen, Physiotherapist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Physiotherapist

There are a few different causes for elbow pain. For example, it might include a ligament sprain, bursitis, bone injury, such as a fracture or dislocation, or maybe even a nerve irritation either local to the elbow or it might be referred from up higher from the neck, or the upper back, or the shoulder.

However, one of the most common causes for elbow pain is due to repetitive strain or overuse of the muscles of the forearm. So eventually, the muscle and tendon can become overloaded at the point at which it attaches to the tendon and this can ultimately result in pain or weakness with any hand movements as well as making everyday activities basically quite challenging to perform.

So pain felt along the outer aspect of the elbow or forearm is known as extensor tendinopathy or more commonly referred to as tennis elbow, while pain experienced on the inner aspect of the elbow or forearm is typically known as flexor tendinopathy or as golfer’s elbow.

So, playing tennis and golf are not the only reasons for experiencing tennis or golfer’s elbow. It’s typically associated with any occupational, or leisure, or sporting activities that involve any repetitive or prolonged gripping, lifting, writing, playing a musical instrument, or any activity really that involves repetitive use of the wrist or the hand.

So basically, an easy way to help you determine if you might think that you have tennis elbow is to see if you can reproduce that pain on the outside of your elbow specifically by resisting extension of your third finger.

This is a muscle that is specifically attached to this part of the elbow and therefore that muscle contraction can help to differentiate this from a different, kind of, injury such as a ligament.

So there are a few components involved in treating an elbow injury so a good person to see is your local physiotherapist. They can perform an assessment to determine where exactly your pain is coming from. And then based on that assessment they can determine an appropriate treatment plan in order to help you reduce your pain and to help regain your normal strength and function.

So they may choose to incorporate a variety of techniques as part of your treatment plan. This might involve hands on therapy such as joint mobilization or soft tissue techniques. They may use needling techniques such as acupuncture or intramuscular stimulation.

And also of importance is postural reeducation as well as a specific home exercise program in order to help you regain your – resume your regular activity levels and hopefully to prevent any future re-injury. Presenter: Ms. Margherita Cirillo, Physiotherapist, Vancouver, BC

Now Health Network Local Practitioners: Physiotherapist

Lateral epicondylitis, which is inflammation on the tendon bone attachment on the elbow, is commonly referred to as tennis elbow. There are a variety of different options available out there. A couple of the products that we really like are these two products here. When trying on a tennis elbow brace, there are a couple of key features that you want to look for. One of the most important things is finding a strap that puts pressure on the affected muscle group. So, you can do that with a gel pad, you can do it with an aerosol, you can do it with a little bit of foam.

That puts pressure on that affected muscle group. If you don’t have that pad all you’re really doing is restricting blood flow. So looking for that additional pad to put pressure on that affected muscle group either on the medial side, or on the – pardon me – on the lateral side or on the medial side. Local Physiotherapist 

These products work well in conjunction with icing, physiotherapy, stretching, modification of activities and also, wearing the strap during activities other than the one where you developed the injury. Often seeing a local family physician or a physiotherapist in conjunction with a registered dietitian and athletic therapist is a great option to take control of this condition. Smart Food Now and exercise is also optominal for overall health.    

When you’re ready to try on a tennis elbow brace, go to a local retailer in your area, and get an experienced fitter. Try on two or three different tennis elbow braces, and find the one that’s most effective for you. I think you’ll find that this will really help get through to tennis elbow.

Presenter: Mr. Dale Harris, Bracing & Equipment Specialist, Vancouver, BC

NOw Health Network Local Practitioners: Bracing & Equipment Specialist