Tennis Elbow

Does This Describe You?

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You have pain on the outside of the elbow and it won’t go away.
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Your pain is made worse with activities involving gripping or holding things.
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You are frustrated that the pain is making simple things like lifting a cup of coffee or a bag of groceries, so difficult.
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Your elbow pain is making sleeping difficult.
Are you worried that you may need an injection or even surgery?

Contact Us to arrange a chat

You may have Tennis Elbow, but what is it?
Tennis elbow (previously known as lateral epicondylitis) is now known as epicondylalgia. Despite popular opinion, this condition is not due to inflammation but rather due to overloading of the tendons of the forearm where they attach to the bone. This causes microtears and changes to tissue structure resulting in pain. However, in very aggravated cases, some inflammation may also be present.

These forearm muscles (extensors) are very important as we use them in almost every activity all day long. They contribute to gripping motions and moving the hand into backwards movements.

The Tennis Elbow Program

At Power Physiotherapy we have helped patients just like you overcome elbow pain with our 3-step program.

Step 1 – Thorough examination and diagnosis:

This step begins with a thorough assessment and accurate diagnosis to make sure we target what is causing the pain whether this be a tendon, muscle or joint problem, or a combination of these.

We not only examine the elbow, but also the wrist and the neck for the possibility of referred pain.

Additional tests we do include checking the strength of the forearm muscles in gripping and functional tasks.

We explore if symptoms can be modified/reduced with hands-on facilitation by a physio.

Your physio will give you an outline of how many treatment sessions you may require to resolve your condition. This is done on an individual basis focussing on your individual goals, with the view of also assisting you with self-management. Treatment time frames is impacted by the severity of your condition as well as the length of time the problem has been present.

Step 2 – Managing your Symptoms:

Understanding your condition and what may provoke symptoms/pain is important to best manage your condition outside of treatment sessions – your physio will educate you on everything you need to know about this!

‘Hands On’ therapies such as joint mobilisations or movements, massage, passive and active stretching and electrotherapy options (laser and ultrasound) may be utilised in order to modify your pain in the short term so you can better perform your exercise and rehabilitation. Dry needling and taping are other options that might be suitable for you once assessed.

For chronic presentations, shockwave therapy may also be used by your physio to improve the recovery process.

Step 3 – Restore Movement, Strength and Function:

Exercises to strengthen muscles, tendon and other tissues are very important in order to restore your capacity and function. These can take time (at minimum 4-6 weeks) and persistence/patience is key in order to see improvement.

In the short term, modification of how you use your forearm/elbow/wrist on a daily basis will be explored by you and your physio to improve how you can use your arm on a daily basis with minimal pain.

Your goals are important to us and even more important for your rehabilitation program. Your physiotherapist will prescribe specific exercises to help restore your function as well as educate you on management strategies that fit these goals.

What’s the next step?

Not sure if treatment at Power Physiotherapy is right for your problem?

Want to know more about your elbow pain?

Do you have any specific questions regarding the program?

Click on the button below to contact us or call the clinic on 9440 6125 to arrange a chat with a Physiotherapist. 

We can help to get you on the right journey to good health.