Tennis Elbow is an overuse injury of the muscles that lift the wrist and fingers. The pain occurs on the bony prominence (Lateral Epicondyle) on the outside of the elbow where the forearm muscles attach. Tennis Elbow is a type of RSI known as a tendinopathy – an irritation to the part of the muscle that anchors it to the bone.

90% of tennis elbow will resolve within 2 years if left alone. Getting treatment from a Myotherapist will bring the average recovery time down to between 3 -12 weeks. Exercises should be performed for at least 8 weeks – even if symptoms have disappeared.

Tennis elbow can be very painful particularly if you don’t know which exercises to perform to improve function and strengthen the irritable tissue.

Tennis elbow is often described as a burning pain around the elbow and forearm.

Tennis elbow is a tendinopathy. Tendinopathy is usually a self limiting condition (aprox 90%) – but if you are compressing the tendon into the bone through some activity you are doing – it will become chronic. In the elderly tendinopathy can become degenerative if left untreated.

The fastest way to resolve your Tennis elbow pain is to learn which exercises take away pain and improve the resilience of the tissue.

Myotherapy and Remedial Massage techniques to the triceps muscle may provide some pain reduction as will joint mobilisations and kinesio tape. Cold Laser can reduce pain and rapidly improve pain also.

Tennis Elbow left to itself may be painful for up to 2 years. Tendon irritation such as Tennis Elbow is variable. The longer the pain has been present – the longer the time till a pain free state. If symptoms have only been obvious for 4-6 weeks a relatively rapid recovery is possible – usually between 6-12 weeks. Performing the correct exercises for your pain is the biggest factor in rapid resolution of symptoms.

Any pain that you have had for 12 weeks or longer is considered chronic. Approximately 11% of individuals with tennis elbow have severe enough symptoms that do not resolve within 2 years that they undergo surgery. If you book in for treatment with a Myotherapist – you should see an immediate improvement in your Tennis Elbow pain.

The likelihood of Tennis Elbow symptoms returning after surgery is less than 10%.

Tennis Elbow pain is usually near the bony prominence of the elbow (the lateral epicondyle). Some people describe this as forearm pain.  Squeezing the hand into fist puts the forearm extensors onto stretch which will also irritate the tendon.

Joint dysfunction and nerve compression in the neck can cause elbow pain. It is unlikely that elbow pain can cause neck pain perse, but protecting the elbow can conceivably cause you to move into positions that bring on neck pain.

It is more likely that the shoulder is causing the elbow pain. The two regions are very dependant on each other to perform many tasks.

Any tendinopathy can return if you are performing movement that irritate the tendon. Consulting with a Myotherapist will minimise the chance of symptoms returning because you will not only learn how to manage the pain yourself – but how to improve the area with the most appropriate exercises.

Tendonitis is a medical term for degenerative tendon. The term applied to tendon irritation now (such as Tennis Elbow) is tendinopathy – tendonitis is a form of tendinopathy.

Tennis elbow is classed as a tendinopathy – the pain is not necessarily bursitis. However, bursitis and tendinopathy often occur together – the same exercises used to treat one will often help the other.