Tennis Elbow

Cricket lovers went aghast over Sachin’s tennis elbow. Logically, tennis elbow should strike Sania not Sachin, isn’t it. Do you know tennis elbow can strike anyone of us?

Anyone who uses the same movements while gripping items can fall victim. This includes golfers, computer users, machinists, carpenters, mechanics, painters and a host of other professions and activities. When muscles are strained or overused, they become inflamed, and painful to the touch.

Minor tears in tendons and muscles cause tennis elbow. Inflamed tendons take longer to heal for they receive less blood and oxygen.

Symptoms

• Difficulty in gripping objects
• Pain, stiffness, or insufficient elbow and hand movement
• Forearm muscle tightness
• Insufficient forearm functional strength
• Typical bouts of tennis elbow last 6-12 weeks, but it can also last shorter or longer periods of time.

Treatment

Tennis elbow requires medical attention as soon as the symptoms appear.

Steps include:

• Rest: Elbow disorders disappear with rest as tendons get time to heal.
• Use ice packs or medication to reduce the inflammation
  Physiotherapy
• Painkillers and injections
• In extreme cases people go for surgery.
• Damage to the arms and elbows can become chronic if the activity causing the condition is not changed or discontinued.

Care post tennis elbow

• Tennis elbow can recur. Baby your arms always.
• Warm up before strenuous activities. Make a fist. Open and close your fist at a rapid pace for 25 times.
• Squeeze a stress ball several times in a day.
• Stretch your arm in front of you and flex your wrist toward the floor. Repeat 3 times.

Prevention:

• Lift objects with your palm facing your body. 
• Try strengthening exercises with hand weights. 
• All exercises should be pain free. Stop on experiencing pain.

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