Returning Serve on “Tennis Elbow”
If you are struggling with pain on the outside of your elbow, you probably have Tennis Elbow. Back in the day when there was a tennis court every few blocks it was probably an accurate name, now virtually no-one gets a sore elbow from tennis, more like a “work elbow” or “lifting elbow” nowadays. The long name for this is Lateral Epicondylitis.
Parkside Sports Physio, Jess Stoll, has spent months scouring research to come up with a gold-standard best-practice rehab program for this frustrating condition and some of her findings are worth sharing……..
- Tennis elbow affects 40% of us over our lifetime
- 80-90% will settle within a year, some people can suffer for up to 2 years!
- Physio and exercise rehab produces less pain and improved recovery over both short and long terms compared to “wait and see” or cortisone injection
Our Tennis Elbow Clinical Pathway has 3 phases
- Pain Phase: education and activity modification, tape or brace to unload painful tissues and targeted exercises to settle your irritable elbow
- Rehab Phase: exercises to improve flexibility and strength in the elbow and upper limb
- Performance Phase: Progress exercises back to a level above pre-injury function to prevent recurrence
Jess’ research revealed what we’ve known for a while: Tennis Elbow is frustrating and takes a long time to get under control. More severe pain and a longer duration of symptoms lead to a longer recovery time. In our experience the mildest cases take at least 6 weeks to settle down, so don’t let your sore elbow hang around for months. Get it seen to quickly to help yourself get back to doing what you love quickly.
