Tennis Elbow

What Is Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)?

Tennis elbow is a painful condition that occurs when the tendons in your elbow are overworked, usually by repetitive motions of the wrist and arm. Despite its name, you don't have to play tennis to get it; it’s common in painters, plumbers, carpenters, and people who use computers heavily.

It happens when the "extensor" tendons—the ones that help you lift your wrist and fingers—develop tiny tears where they attach to the bony bump on the outside of your elbow. This leads to inflammation, weakness, and sharp pain when gripping or lifting objects.
 

How Does Therapy Work?

The goal of physiotherapy for Tennis Elbow is to calm the inflammation, promote new tissue growth, and strengthen the forearm to prevent the injury from coming back.

1. Pain Control: Using cooling agents and electrical signals to "turn off" the sharp pain.

2. Tissue Repair: Stimulating blood flow to the tendon (which naturally has poor blood supply) to speed up the healing of those tiny tears.

3. Mechanical Correction: Ensuring the joints in the elbow and wrist are moving correctly so they don't put extra stress on the tendon.

4. Strengthening: Building up the forearm muscles so they can handle the "load" of your daily activities.
    

What Are The Treatment Techniques?

We use a specialized "Advance Combination" approach to treat Tennis Elbow effectively:

• Shockwave Therapy: This is a "gold standard" for Tennis Elbow. It sends sound waves into the tendon to "re-start" the healing process in chronic cases.

• Manual Therapy (Mulligan Technique): The therapist applies a specific glide to your elbow joint while you perform a painful movement (like gripping), often resulting in immediate, pain-free movement.

• Advance Combination Electrotherapy: Using Ultrasound and TENS together to reduce swelling and block pain in one go.

• Dry Needling: Inserting tiny needles into the "trigger points" of the forearm muscles to release deep-seated tension.

• Transverse Friction Massage: A deep, cross-way massage on the tendon to help break down painful scar tissue.

• Kinesiology Taping: Applying "K-Tape" to offload the pressure from the tendon and support the muscle during movement.
   

What Are The Benefits?

• Improved Grip Strength: You'll be able to hold a cup, shake hands, or turn a doorknob without sharp pain.

• Rapid Inflammation Reduction: Getting rid of the "burning" sensation on the outside of the elbow.

• Avoidance of Injections: Proper physiotherapy often eliminates the need for steroid shots.

• Better Flexibility: Removing the stiffness in the wrist and elbow.

• Long-term Prevention: Teaching you how to use your arm correctly so the pain doesn't return.
   

Typical Treatment Parameters

• Frequency: Usually 2 sessions per week.

• Duration: 20–30 minutes per session.

• Timeline: Most patients feel a 50% improvement within 3–4 weeks, with full recovery typically taking 8–12 weeks depending on how long the problem has existed.

• Home Plan: You will be given a "Progressive Loading" plan—starting with simple stretches and moving to eccentric strengthening (slowly lowering weights).
   

How Does The Patient Feel?

• The Experience: Treatment starts with soothing techniques. As we move to Shockwave or Manual Therapy, you might feel some "productive discomfort"—a deep ache that tells us we are hitting the right spot.

• The Sensation: Many patients feel a "warmth" in the elbow after a session, followed by a noticeable increase in their ability to use their hand comfortably.

• Afterward: You might feel a bit sore for 24 hours, but this is usually followed by a significant drop in your original elbow pain.
   

The Advanced Plan at Ang Physiotherapy

We look beyond just the elbow to ensure a total cure:

1. Neck & Shoulder Check: Often, "elbow pain" is actually caused by a pinched nerve in the neck. We screen your spine to be sure.

2. Laser Therapy: To accelerate healing at a cellular level in the tendon fibers.

3. Ergonomic Advice: We help you adjust your workstation or sports equipment to stop the repetitive strain at its source.

4. Eccentric Training: Using specialized equipment to strengthen the tendon in its "lengthened" state, which is the best way to prevent future tears.
    

Contraindications & Precautions

• Recent Steroid Injections: If you’ve had a "cortisone" shot in the last 14 days, we must wait before using certain therapies like Shockwave.

• Nerve Entrapment: If the pain is actually a trapped nerve (Radial Tunnel Syndrome), we modify our approach to focus on "nerve gliding."

• Fractures: Any recent trauma must be cleared via X-ray to rule out a broken bone.