Added: 12/02/2005 |
Tennis elbow definition, symptoms and healingTennis is a very dynamic sport that potentially involves a variety of injuries. One of the most common types of injuries in tennis is tennis elbow. Tennis elbow definition is as follows: tennis elbow is an injury to the tendons and muscles on the outer part of the elbow that may be the result of repetitive stress or overuse.
Tennis elbow definition got its name for the reason that tennis players are most likely to get it (although anyone can get it). Here is the extended tennis elbow definition: tennis elbow is degeneration or inflammation of the tendon attached to the bony bit on the outside of the elbow or arm. Precisely what causes the injury of tennis elbow is unidentified, but it is considered to be owing to small tears of the tendons which attach the forearm muscles to the arm bone at the elbow joint. A common cause of the injury in tennis is a insufficient grip size or bad backhand technique. Small grips make the muscles of the elbow work harder thus causing inflammation of elbow structure. The average age of people who are most exposed to tennis elbow is between 40 and 50 years but the injury can affect players of any age.
Hitting backhand shots in tennis with an excessive 'wrist' action puts far extra strain on the elbow. Therefore, the wrist should be solid and not bent whenever the ball is hit. That will allow forces to be spread over the shoulder, arm and the rest of the body.
Tennis elbow can be a serious and hard injury to treat so it is vital you do the proper things as early as possible.
Symptoms and signs of tennis elbow include:
- Frequent pain on the outer surface of the upper forearm slightly below the elbow bend; sometimes, pain spreads down the arm in the direction of the wrist.
- Difficult to extend the forearm completely (because of inflamed tendons, muscles and ligaments).
- Pain arisen in the result of bending or lifting the arm or clutching even light items such as a tea cup.
- Pain that normally lingers on for six to twelve weeks; the pain can last for as little as three weeks or as long as a few years.
- Weakness in the wrist.
- Pain on the elbow when attempting to straighten the fingers.
The pain related to tennis elbow typically has a gradual beginning, but might also happen suddenly.
Not only can the tennis players be affected. Even despite such narrow name that tennis elbow definition has, any person can be affected, though the injury is most regularly seen in laborers who work with their hands, and in participants of other sports.
Some guidelines on what can affected person do in order to relieve from tennis elbow are:
- Rest. It is a very significant component in the curing of this injury. It can cure rapidly within a couple of weeks but you may suffer with this injury for up to two years.
- Ice the injury up two six times a day for two days.
- Wear a support or brace to protect the tendon while curing and strengthening.
There are more than a few available treatments for the injury of tennis elbow. The good thing is that nonoperative healing is successful in more that 90% of patients. It's worth mentioning that a lot of medical textbooks cure tennis elbow as a form of tendonitis of elbow, which is frequently the case, but if the bones and muscles of the elbow joint are involved as well, then the condition is epicondylitis.
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