Lateral Epicondylitis, also know as “Tennis Elbow”, is the most common overuse syndrome in the elbow. It is a tendinopathy that involves the extensor muscles of the forearm, which originate from the bony protuberance on the lateral side of the elbow. Tennis elbow pain usually occurs right on the origin of the extensor muscles but it can also spread to the forearm and wrist. As the name suggest, playing tennis, especially the repeated use of the backhand stroke, is one of the possible causes of tennis elbow. However, athletes are not the only ones who develop this tendinopathy. The problem can be caused by any repetitive upper extremity movement such as repetitive use of computer mouse, heavy lifting, forceful forearm pronation and supination, painting, screwing and unscrewint, using plumber’s tools etc.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of lateral epicondylitis is pain and burning feeling on the lateral part of the elbow, which can spread along the outside of the forearm.If the activity that caused the condition is continued, the pain may get worse and spread down to the wrist, even at rest. Symptoms of tennis elbow also include elbow stiffnes and weakness in the forearm and hand, which results in weaker grip and trouble with activities such as turning a doorknob, hodling a coffee cup, opening a jar etc.
Physiotherapy
The physiotherapy programme is focused on reducing and eliminating pain, including techniques to improve the mobility and strength of injured muscles and tendons. We use, among others, the following techniques: Tecar Therapy (diathermy, electrotherapy, dry needling, kinesiotaping, manual therapy to help reduce tension in the soft tissues and joints. Therapeutic exercise is also an important part of the therapy because lack of muscle strength can lead to this injury.
