Resolving Tennis Elbow
Tennis Elbow is a painful condition that manifests as:
- Pain at the outside point of the elbow when the arm is extended
- Inflammation and irritation of the extensor tendon where it attaches to the lateral epicondyle.
- Pain when griping and moving the wrist during wrist extension or when lifting objects with the hands.
- Pain from activities that require extension of the wrist.
It is caused repetitive actions of the arms and elbow, such as that which occurs in tennis and baseball.
Resolving Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is an over-use injury that can be effectively treated by using a combination of Active Release Techniques, and specifically selected exercises that strengthen and address all the structures of its kinetic chain (forearm, wrist, and shoulders).
Click on each of the following tabs for more information about how can we can help resolve your Tennis Elbow.
Anatomy of Tennis Elbow
Tennis Elbow involves the extensors (the muscles that bend the wrist back). The extensors attach to the lateral epicondyle, on the outside of the elbow. The common extensor tendon also attaches to the lateral epicondyle. Both these structures are susceptible to micro-tears when they are exposed to repetitive actions.
Several other layers of soft-tissues are typically involved in this injury, including:
- The deep annular ligament.
- The supinator and anconeus muscles.
- The superficial structures of the extensor muscles.
- The fascia that surrounds and penetrates through all these areas.
Causes of Tennis Elbow
The injury process for Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is identical to that of Golfer’s Elbow (medial epicondylitis). However, for Tennis Elbow, the pain manifests on the outside point of the elbow.
As with Golfer’s Elbow, Tennis Elbow can be caused by a variety of activities. Any activity that involves excessive supination (turning the hand, ending palm side up) and pronation, or lifting objects with your elbow in full extension (elbow straight) can cause this condition.
The repetitive motions of these activities result in the formation of micro-tears, inflammation, scar tissue, and physical restrictions which then manifest as Tennis Elbow.
Treating Tennis Elbow
Both Golfer’s Elbow and Tennis Elbow can be easily treated with soft-tissue treatment methods such as Active Release Techniques and specially selected exercise routines.
This is especially true if the practitioner applies a kinetic chain perspective to locate and treat ALL the affected structures.
In addition to treating the layers of soft tissue that surround the elbow, practitioners should also consider the numerous kinetic chain relationships in order to effectively resolve this condition. Some of these affected structures are near the elbow while others are quite distant.
The key point is to find all the affected structures and then treat each affected structure as needed. This type of treatment requires a high level of tactile sensitivity by the practitioner. Equally important for full recovery, the patient should carry out specially designed exercise routines that focus upon all the structures of the affected kinetic chain.
A Patient’s Story
I have suffered from Tennis Elbow for over 16 years. I tried all the traditional remedies from physiotherapy to cortisone shots, but nothing worked.
My arm started to go numb and I couldn’t even sleep at night any more. My wrist was continually aching and I wore a wrist brace to get through the day. It got to the point where the pain was so bad that I relinquished and had another cortisone shot, and found that didn’t work at all.
A friend saw the trouble I was having and mentioned that his son-in- law had received ART treatments and that it had worked wonders for him.
I contacted Dr. Abelson. After an initial treatment, he indicated that just 4 or 5 treatments should have my elbow back in good order.
The difference was amazing after just the first treatment and with the exercises he prescribed. After just five treatments, my elbow is almost pain free, and is continuously getting better.
More Information about Tennis Elbow
Dr. Abelson provides a broad range of information to his patients and the public. They range from published books (eBook and hard-copy), to blogs, YouTube Videos, websites, and articles. Click on the following tabs to access some of his more popular information resources.
Books for Resolving Tennis Elbow
Release Your Pain: 2nd Edition
Dr.Abelson’s international best-seller – Release Your Pain – provides a detailed description about the anatomy, kinetic chain, and causes of Tennis Elbow. It discusses means for resolving this condition, and provides specially selected exercises to help you begin the process of resolution. Visit our website at www.releaseyourbody.com to purchase your eBook or hard-Copy.
Release Your Kinetic Chain: Exercises for the Shoulder to Hand
The phased exercise routines in Exercises for the Shoulder to Hand are designed to build and strengthen the neuromuscular relationships in the structures from your hand to shoulders. These exercises are a critical component of any treatment plan for the resolution of Tennis Elbow. Visit our website at www.releaseyourbody.com to purchase your eBook or hard-Copy.
Release Your Kinetic Chain: Exercises for the Jaw to Shoulder
The specially designed exercise routines in Exercises for the Jaw to Shoulder provide a unique set of exercises that can help you to resolve Tennis Elbow. These exercises include self-massage techniques, and exercises that work to strengthen and stretch the muscles of the shoulder’s kinetic chain. Visit our website at www.releaseyourbody.com to purchase your eBook or hard-copy.
Blogs about Tennis Elbow
Click on the following blog articles for additional information on Tennis Elbow
Treating Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow with Active Release
Golfer’s Elbow can be caused by any activity (not just golf) that requires forceful and repeated bending of the wrist and fingers. For example: when the golfer swings his club, the flexor muscles and tendons of the arm tighten just before the club makes contact with the ball.
Golfer’s Elbow and the Kinetic Chain
There is a much bigger picture that needs to be addressed in resolving elbow injuries, which is commonly missed. For example what symptomatically appears as an elbow injury can start as a lack of core stability, which involves a much larger kinetic chain.
The game of golf only emphasizes one side of the body; either you are a right-handed golfer or a left-hander golfer. This unilateral focus is the cause of numerous injuries. Because the game of golf emphasizes just one side of the body most golfers develop muscle imbalances and a wide array of myofascial restrictions.
For information about our clinic in Calgary, Alberta, please visit to www.kinetichealth.ca.
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