Tennis elbow is recognized as a soreness or a pain on the elbow. It is basically caused by damaging the tendons which in fact connect the muscles from the forearm up to the elbow the pain can even go as far down as to your wrist. Tennis elbow can be extremely painful and if you do not treat it then it will cause you great problems in doing simple things like turning a key in a door. The medical term for a tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis. People ask how did I do this to my elbow?
Well the answer is you over did it. If you have been doing a task repetitively and twisting the arm then this will inevitably put some stress on your tendon making tears which will cause you pain in time. If you have not taken part in repetitive tasks then perhaps you had a direct blow to the elbow which will give you the same outcome. The term lateral epicondylitis is known as tennis elbow because a lot of tennis players suffer with it however people get it from gardening and painting just as easily. This condition can and will effect anyone of any gender, nationality, height and weight but will usually choose the age group of forty something to effect.
The diagnosis process will happen via a number of question and answer sessions with yourself and your GP will want to know about your daily routine, exercise routine, past problems and history. Most of the time an x ray is not needed but sometimes a doctor may ask for one simply to rule out any pther possibilities for the symptoms. If after the proscribed treatment your symptoms are still effecting you then your GP may require you to have an MRI or some sort of an imaging test to see if there are any other underlying problems with the bone or tendons.
The treatment of tennis elbow is fairly straight forward, it involves rest and more rest of the arm, you must stop doing any movement that causes pain and discomfort. You can apply a cold pack about three times a day on the elbow for the duration of the swelling. You may be advised to take pain relievers such as ibuprofen to help you go through the pain more easily. There is also something called a counterforce brace which is a strap you put around your forearm. When the pain dissipates then your doctor can help you and show you what rehab stretch to do to help make your tendons stronger.
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