Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow Treatments

Once your medical professional has diagnosed your condition, they will be able to recommend the most effective treatment for your tennis elbow or golfer's elbow injury. There are a variety of options available depending on the severity of your injury.

During your recovery, you will probably have to modify and/or eliminate any activities that cause pain or discomfort in your elbow area until your pain and inflammation settle. Scar tissue will often develop as a result of a tennis elbow or golfer's elbow injury once acute inflammation begins to decrease. As your damaged arm tissues heal this dead, fibrotic tissue will develop instead of forming brand new healthy tissue. This tissue adheres to your muscle fibers, tendons, ligaments, fascia, nerves, and joints causing pain and preventing them from moving properly (this limits your range of motion, flexibility and strength).

Often you will notice a great improvement within 6 to 12 weeks; however it can take months to return to normal. The more diligent you are with your treatment and rehabilitation, the faster you will see successful results. If you start using your arm before it has a chance to heal properly (even though it may feel better), you can end up doing a lot more damage than good!

Conservative Tennis Elbow and Golfer's Elbow Treatment

Your initial treatment should involve relieving any pain and stress on your elbow, decreasing any swelling, and correcting any biomechanical dysfunction. Then you can focus on restoring strength and mobility to your injured elbow. It is very important to follow any instructions you receive from your physician.

To decrease inflammation and relieve pain for a chronic or diagnosed tennis elbow injury, adhere to the URICE philosophy within the first 48 – 72 hours:

• Ultrasound around your injured elbow for 5 minutes, 3 times per day. This is best accomplished with a personal, therapeutic ultrasound device.
  
  
• Rest your arm and limit your activity (if you are able to move your arm)
  
• Ice the area 2-3 times/day for approximately 15 - 20 minutes at a time (do not apply ice directly on your skin, rather wrap it in a cloth or towel) to reduce blood flow to the injured area.
  
• Compress the area if possible by adding light pressure to minimize swelling (make sure the compress is snug; if too tight it could cause numbness, tingling or more pain).
  
• Elevate the injured area above chest level to relieve the pressure from swelling and allow fluid to drain from the injured part.

If you do not have access to ultrasound therapy, or you have experienced an acute injury and/or have not been diagnosed, adhere to the RICE philosophy within the first 48 – 72 hours.

Ultrasound therapy is a great therapeutic option to decrease pain, inflammation and soft tissue (muscle, connective and nerve tissue) damage experienced with a tennis elbow or golfer's elbow injury. This can be received using a portable, home ultrasound device (self-administered) or by seeing a physiotherapist. The treatment is safe, easy, painless, and generally requires between 5 – 10 minutes. It is based on a form of deep heat therapy which is generated through high frequency sound waves (that we can not hear). These waves send vibrations deep into your body and raise the temperature of your soft tissue. The waves are delivered through a hand held transducer and medicinal conductive gel that are used together in a slow, circular motion on your skin over the injured area. You may experience a slight tingling or warm sensation during the process as a result of the gel; this enhances the therapeutic effects of ultrasound (Phonophoresis).

Ultrasound therapy increases collagen and tissue elasticity, which in turn promotes circulation (blood flow) and brings oxygen and nutrients to your injured area. This cleans your tissue by getting rid of cell waste products and allows your injury to heal correctly. If not treated properly injured tissue can heal with a weakened state, which can lead to scar tissue or calcification. If used on an ongoing basis, ultrasound will help to improve your range of motion by breaking down any scar tissue that may form in the injured area. Ultrasound waves penetrate deep into your tissues, relax your muscles, decrease chronic inflammation and accelerate your recovery rate, so you can return to your daily activities as soon as possible.

Pain and anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can be used if required to help manage your pain. However, these aren't recommended for long term use, as they can cause gastrointestinal difficulties. Some health professionals have also recommended natural supplements supplements such as Glucosamine, MSM or Hyaluronic Acid to help strengthen the injured tissue. The use of ultrasound in conjunction with NSAIDs can greatly improve the effect of this medication and can help to heal your tennis elbow quicker.

Once the initial inflammation has decreased, you can provide pain relief and improve your arm function by alternating a cold and hot compress to increase the blood flow to the area. Gentle massage around the injured area or small flexing or extending elbow movements (if not painful) will also help increase blood flow, oxygen, nutrients and will prevent stiffness.

To increase your comfort and prevent further damage, you may want to use a tennis elbow strap or counterforce brace which will help support the area and reduce stress on the injured tissue; this is worn just below the elbow, around your forearm. These bands should only be used until the tennis elbow or golfer's elbow is gone, as they can cut off circulation and impede healing or development of your muscle tissue.

If pain and inflammation persist, you can see your physician to investigate cortisone/steroid injections or topical medications, which may help reduce swelling and inflammation. However, these should be used with caution and never in conjunction with ultrasound therapy.

Physical Therapy is a beneficial way to help decrease pain in the soft tissues, restore atrophied muscles and improve elbow, forearm and wrist strength and mobility. The type of physical therapy and the duration will be dependent on the extent of your injury.

Once your pain starts to diminish, a physiotherapist will also set up an individualized arm and shoulder strengthening and stretching exercise program for you to perform at home or in the gym. This will be based on your needs and abilities, and will help you return to performing your normal routines. Individuals will often lift weights on their own, to try and build up their strength, however, in doing so, they can do more damage. It is extremely important to strengthen your muscles properly, as they may have weakened during the period of non-use. A trained therapist will help to ensure your rehabilitation process is effective. For best, long term results use ultrasound in conjunction with physical therapy and an exercise program.

Once you return to your activities, it is beneficial for you to evaluate how you use your arm in these activities to determine if you can decrease stress on the injured tissue. This may involve changing your technique, for example using a two-handed backhand instead of a one-handed backhand in tennis, which will take stress off your forearm muscles. Or, it could also mean implementing ergonomically correct practices, structures and equipment to help you perform tasks more effectively and safely, such as using a properly weighted racquet, or taking more frequent short breaks at work to rest your wrist when using a hammer or screwdriver. Speak with a professional in the specific activity or work setting to ensure you are using correct procedures and tools.

A Black Body Radiant Energy Kit is one of the most helpful tools for a wide varity of painful tendon related problems. Through the absorption of radiant energy, tissues are safely and gently heated - increasing blood flow within the treated area. Your body's natural response to this increased temperature is to try to maintain a condition of homeostasis - a balanced environment or state of equilibrium throughout the body. To do this, your body responds with a rapid increase in blood flow to the area (this is known as vasodilation), increasing the supply of nutrients to injured cells and flushing out toxins (including lactic acid, commonly found in trigger points) to promote healing. Our Thermotex Platinum Pain Relief Device provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief with no side effects.

Our Cold Compression Wraps are recommended by countless medical professionals. That's why we sell them, because they are the best. We have noticed over time that our customers are so fond of our cold wraps that they are frequently coming back and ordering a second one. The wraps are becoming very popular with baseball and soccer trainers, and the wraps can be conveniently stored in a cooler for quick application on the field when needed.

Ultrasound therapy is also a helpful tool for pain prevention of tendon injuires, and having a portable ultrasound device at home can be a powerful and convenient treatment tool. If you have symptoms or are recovering from a tendon related injury, using ultrasound on a regular basis before your activity or throughout the day will help relax your muscles, tendons and tissues, diminish pain and inflammation, soften scar tissue and contribute greatly to the healing of your injury.

If you suffer from pain after certain activities or movements use ultrasound therapy when you complete the activity and then rest. Limit the application of ultrasound to a couple of treatments per day (the manual will recommend treatment frequency depending upon the injury). In between ultrasound treatments, maximize your pain relief and injury recovery by using the Thermotex Personal Therapy System. Proven Performance, Proven Relief - only found at MendMeShop.com. If you have been given a treatment plan by your health professional, make sure you adhere to it to ensure pain free living. In general, people who are committed to their therapies and exercises will have the best medical outcomes.