Treatment - Tennis elbow
by Admin
Posted on 25-10-2023 02:38 PM
Prevention
tennis elbow will get better without treatment (known as a self-limiting condition). Tennis elbow usually lasts between 6 months and 2 years, with most people (90%) making a full recovery within a year. The most important thing to do is to rest your injured arm and stop doing the activity that caused the problem. There are also simple treatments to help with the pain, like holding a cold compress, such as a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel, against your elbow for a few minutes several times a
day
.
If you’re in severe pain your doctor may suggest a steroid injection. The pain can become worse for a few hours afterwards but then usually fades. For some conditions steroid injections can have an effect on symptoms for a short term. Depending on what type of steroid injection you’ve had they may start to wear off after about six weeks. If you have a type of inflammatory arthritis that’s affecting the elbow, such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis , your specialist may inject the joint as part of your treatment. Steroid injections aren’t recommended for tennis or golfer’s elbow.
If you’ve tried resting your arm and taking painkillers but you still have symptoms after six weeks, your gp may suggest other treatment for tennis elbow.
Physiotherapy for tennis elbow
Pain when lifting objects
pain on playing sports – racquet sports in particular
this pain commonly is felt on the outside of the elbow and radiates down the back of the forearm to the wrist. The symptoms often worsen over time. Treatment starts with activity assessment and modification. A tennis player’s symptoms could resolve by something as simple as changing racquets. In conjunction with anti-inflammatory medication, physiotherapy and steroid injections, many patients recover fully without the need for surgery. However, some severe cases are resistant to the measures and require surgery. Surgery to release the damaged tendon is usually successful, but rarely needed; about 95 percent of patients with tennis elbow can be treated without surgery.
Rest is the best treatment for tennis elbow. It usually heals on its own if you can stop the constant movements that caused it. Here are other nonsurgical ways to treat tennis elbow: ice: experts recommend icing for 15 minutes every 3 to 4 hours to reduce pain and swelling. Mulligan mobilisation with movement and taping: this is a form of physical therapy that repositions the muscles to protect the injured tendons from further strain. Physical therapy: a professional can show you exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles in your shoulder, upper arm, and wrists. Steroids: shots into your elbow tendons can briefly ease some of the swelling and pain around your elbow joint.
If the symptoms don’t improve, or if you are prone to recurring bouts of elbow pain, see your doctor or physiotherapist. Treatment options for elbow pain may include: exercises prescribed by your physiotherapist to gradually strengthen the tendons acupuncture taping or bracing your elbow anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medication can help you cope with the pain, but do not improve long-term outcomes surgery – in severe cases, and if pain has not resolved within 12 months. There is evidence that corticosteroid injections can be harmful in the longer term, so these are no longer recommended in most cases. Further research is needed to find out if new treatments such as injecting the person’s own blood products back into the tendon, or using patches over the tendon that can help blood vessels to dilate can help.
Topical nsaids: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gels (nsaids) are topical ointments which have been formulated to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. The active ingredient employed in nsaids is either ibuprofen or diclofenac – both of which work to block inflammation-causing enzymes to provide pain relief. Supportive straps: braces and straps designed specifically for cases of tennis elbow use compression technology to apply pressure to the muscles of the forearm, which in turn works to relieve pressure on the inflamed or injured tendon in question. When fitted accurately, compression straps and braces can change the angle at which the tendon is operating, providing overall relief.