I have Tennis Elbow? But I don’t play tennis!

What is Tennis Elbow? Medically known as lateral epicondylitis, it happens when your elbow tendons are strained or injured. These are the muscles that allow you to grip or twist, and are vulnerable to injury from repetitive motions of the wrist and arm.

Does this sound familiar? You are coming off the 18th hole at the golf course and as you reach for a club, you feel soreness in your left arm that extends up towards your neck. It’s your first round of the season so you don’t think much of it. But when you are getting ready for bed that evening, the soreness is more noticeable and has started to throb.

Or perhaps you spent that bright sunny Newmarket Saturday, re-staining the deck and painting the fence. The work is done and you’re ready to relax and enjoy dinner but feel sharp pain as you cut into your food. You take a pain reliever to ease the pain and help you get some rest. By the morning the pain is back along with soreness.

Days after your golf game or painting project you also continue to experience pain. When tasks that involve gripping, turning, or bending your wrist, simple things like opening a door or drinking from your coffee mug, make you wince. These are signs that you may have Tennis Elbow.

Tennis Elbow can develop from:

• Unaccustomed or repetitive activity like painting, hammering, gardening or carrying something heavy
• Excessive or constant gripping, turning or wringing motions like those performed by carpenters, plumbers, butchers and even cashiers
• Poor forearm muscle strength or tight muscles
• Repetitive movements that involve bending the wrist in a turning or backwards motion

Tennis Elbow can become a chronic injury if left untreated. If you think you might have Tennis Elbow, consider coming to York Rehab for an assessment by one of our physiotherapists. Working with a physiotherapist is an effective way to reduce the pain associated with Tennis Elbow, restore normal range of motion and find the root of the problem.

To get you on the road to recovery, our physiotherapists will create an individualized treatment plan based on your level of physical activity and lifestyle. The treatment plan could include: manual therapy, acupuncture, ultrasound, laser treatments, muscle stretches, massage and strengthening.

While Tennis Elbow is not life threatening, it can be life altering – affecting how you enjoy the activities that you love. Tennis Elbow is pain you do not have to live with! Visit our Newmarket physiotherapy clinic, we can help.