Do you have pain on the outside your elbow or your forearm?

You may be experiencing lateral epicondylalgia. More commonly known as ‘Tennis Elbow’, it affects more people than just tennis players.

The most common cause of this elbow pain is the overuse of the muscles and tendons of the elbow while doing repetitive tasks above and beyond your normal movement. Like going out and playing a long game of golf with a new golf club, spending an afternoon pruning roses in the garden, a few hours scrolling through Facebook, or after DIY project with the screwdriver. The pain can range from a little niggle with some activities, or it may cause severe pain with even simple activities such as picking up your cup of coffee.

The forearm extensor muscles (show in in the diagram below) that insert into the common extensor origin (CEO) on the outside of the elbow, become irritated and painful with repetitive stress. The pain is often spread down the top and the side of the forearm.  

What’s most needed is the progressive strengthening of the muscles and tendons in the elbow, targeted at an appropriate level for them to improve. It’s often very useful to get hands-on treatment to improve the flexibility of the muscles surrounding the elbow. Taping the elbow or wearing an elbow brace are also very effective in the short term to decrease pain. A physiotherapist can also address if you have any neck pain or tightness in the surrounding nerves that may be contributing to your issue.

We see many clients with this type of pain, and you would normally expect to see a considerable improvement in 4-5 visits. We can review all the factors that may be causing your elbow pain and work with you to provide a rehab plan to get you back to feeling your best.

Call Physio Pilates Proactive today or book online to make an appointment.