The short answer is an emphatic YES! And we will show you how in this blog. First, let’s talk about what exactly causes the pain associated with tennis elbow.
What Is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is pain localized to the outside of the elbow and forearm. The term “tennis elbow” was first coined in a medical paper in 1883 as the prevalence of tennis grew. It was believed that the overuse of the wrist and elbow during tennis was the cause of pain on the outside of the elbow. Fast forward to the present day and the terminology has changed. Now, pain along the outside of the elbow has been termed lateral epicondylagia. The cause of this pain has also been the root of many research articles and the conclusion that pain in this area can be multifactorial – just like a lot of pain that we experience in other parts of our body.
What Causes Tennis Elbow?
This elbow pain is multifactorial meaning that a variety of factors can contribute to this issue. Pain at the elbow can be an overuse type of injury from gripping and various wrist activities. Elbow pain in this region can also be referred pain from the neck, upper back, nerves in the upper arm and even the shoulder. More and more research is coming out indicating treatment of this problem should focus on multiple areas with this pain location. One research study found that 70% of the subjects with lateral elbow pain also had pain in the neck and upper back region as compared to 16% in the control group. They also found the prevalence of pain with the radial nerve neurodynamic test to be higher in the lateral elbow pain group compared to the control group.
With so many potential contributors, how do we know for sure that we are treating the correct contributor?
That is where evaluation by a skilled physical therapist comes in to develop an individualized plan of care for you.
Treatment For Tennis Elbow
At Iron Standard Physical Therapy and Performance, treatment of any problem starts with finding the WHY – and tennis elbow is no different. We want to find the root cause of the problem so that we can give you a long term solution. Once we know the root cause, we then ease the pain, and ease your mind, and we help you forge the path back from pain to performance. Finally, we don’t stop with just getting rid of the pain – we optimize your movement so that you move and feel better than you ever have before!
As we’ve discussed, following this plan for tennis elbow can look different depending on the root cause behind your elbow pain. Below is a list of some of our favorite exercises for tennis elbow – it’s not a comprehensive list, or a one size fits all solution, but hopefully, if you are dealing with some elbow pain, one or two of these will help you out!
Wrist Extension
First, with the limited wrist strength in the symptomatic side we like to utilize strengthening for the wrist extensors which run right through this area. Our favorite wrist extensor strengthening exercise is the eccentric wrist extension with weight shown here.
Grip Strength
Second, we like to address grip strength as that is often painful and weaker in the symptomatic side. Once we have calmed symptoms down, we love utilizing suitcase carries to build resilience in the wrist extensors.
Thoracic Mobilty
Third, we like to utilize upper back mobility exercises as they can help improve mobility in the upper back and reduce pain. One of our go-to upper back mobility exercises is shown here.
Nerve Sliders
Another exercise we like for this region is the radial nerve slider. The radial nerve runs right through this area and can be a major contributor to pain and symptoms. We use sliders because the amount of nerve glide is actually more with sliders and is usually less provocative. Here is a good example of a radial nerve slider that we like to utilize.
We hope that this helps you or somebody you know with elbow pain. Please reach out to us if you have any questions regarding management of pain and symptoms in this region. To schedule a free phone consultation with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy, click the button below!
