Posted by Tennis Elbow troubling your game? There are many ways to treat Tennis Elbow. Some you can do for your self and some will require a professional. Let’s go into what you can do at home and the least expensive methods first. I always look to save time and money so that would be a great place to start. Everyone reading this has access to ice. If not borrow some from a neighbor. When the symptoms of tennis elbow arise you would simply rub ice all over the painful area for 15 minutes. It should take out some of the sting. If your tennis elbow problem is minor this should help dramatically. Then you would do well to rest the arm by not playing tennis or racquet sports for 10 day period. Give your body a chance to heal.
Now you may be surprised to learn that other people get tennis elbow. Many who never lift a tennis racquet develop pain along the lateral epicondyle or outside portion of the elbow. Painters, plumbers and carpenters fall victim to tennis elbow pain and soreness. The motion of swinging a hammer or turning a wrench puts physical stress on the outside of the elbow and can cause symptoms of tennis elbow.
Many of us are trained to take a few Advil or Aleve for our minor aches and pains. This class of pain medications are called Nsaids (Non-Steroidal anti inflammatory). In many cases they can be quite effective in relieving the pain of tennis elbow. It is easy enough to get them as no prescription is needed. They can end your problem if it is a simple case of tennis elbow. Always try the least invasive and the least expensive way first.
Exercises for tennis elbow can be helpful in alleviating the pain. You can also do some further damage if you don’t know what you are doing. There are many exercises videos you can find online to determine which is right for you. If the pain gets worse you are probably doing the wrong one. Stop that exercise right away and put ice on it. Then go ahead and find another exercise to do that will not hurt. Please do not over exercise. Tennis Elbow is considered an over-use syndrome as it is. Further overuse can lead to a more serious condition where the tendon called the extensor carpi radialis brevis will tear requiring surgery.
There are several braces that can help stabilize the overused muscle tendons. If you look around your tennis club you may see the same brace on several people. Ask them what they like and dislike about the brace.More importantly ask if they find that brace to be helpful. You will learn which braces work best by asking someone else who is using it. If not ask the tennis pro what he or she would recommend. You have many inexpensive options to try to get relief from tennis elbow.
I would not suggest that you give up tennis because it hurts. That is not a solution for a tennis lover. If the problem does not respond to any of the suggestions put forth in this article you will have to consider professional help. Your primary care doctor will be of little use unless they are tennis players. In an effort to save money I recommend that you start with a sports minded massage therapist. They have plenty of experience with the muscles of your upper body. They will also probably find some tension in the neck and shoulder of the side you are having tennis elbow symptoms on. The great thing is you probably needed a massage anyway and you can get your elbow worked on at the same time. Please ask around for a good massage therapist. This is the least expensive way to go. Be warned that you will have to go a few times to feel a real benefit. The other thing to consider is that you will have saved money on the more expensive doctors. Those options are still open to you. We want to go from least expensive to most expensive in seeking relief from tennis elbow.
We have presented a common sense approach to treating tennis elbow tennis elbow without having to go to a professional. The at home remedies can be all you need to get back on the tennis court. You should also realize that your problem may be more serious. If the pain from tennis elbow gets worse or fails to respond to care you should seek professional help. It is sound advice to get you relbow checked out. That will be for a future article. I trust that you found this information to behelpfu. please feel free to leave a comment or to pass it on to a fellow tennis lover.
