When you lift heavy weight during exercise, you are likely to experience some pain in your elbows. The most common type of pain that everyone is prone to be tennis elbow pain. Even though the name of the condition implies to tennis players, but the situation is otherwise. You can also experience tennis elbow pain at any point.
Lifting heavy weight is a major cause of elbow pain. The majority of the people who have experienced tennis elbow pain do not accurately identify the pain. After a correct diagnosis of the pain, you need to work on your treatment. The process of dealing with pain is a bit slow, but there are some tips that you can do to fix the pain.
You will get thorough information about tennis elbow pain in this article. Apart from that, you will know some important tips to effectively deal with the situation.
What Is Tennis Elbow Pain?
Usually, the tennis elbow is an uncomfortable feeling around your elbows. In medical terms, the condition is also known as lateral epicondylitis. It is a swelling in your forearm's tendons, so the common site of pain is the surrounding muscles. The pain is uncomfortable and can be a hurdle in performing day-to-day tasks.
Tendons attach muscles to the bones, so the pain in this region can affect your overall elbow. Often, people assume that only tennis players are prone to the problem, which is not true. The main reason for the condition is the overuse of the muscles, and so anyone can experience it at any time.
Symptoms of Tennis Elbow Pain
The symptoms of tennis elbow pain differ from person to person. Depending on the origin of the problem, you are likely to experience pain in a changing pattern. Some of the common symptoms that you are likely to experience are:
- Pain and tenderness on the elbow.
- In some cases, pain in the forearm and back of the hand.
- Pain while extending your hand or twisting it.
- Problems in gripping of things
- Inconvenience to open the door
- Pain traveling from elbow to forearm
- Stiffness in the arm.
Causes of Tennis Elbow Pain
Tennis elbow pain usually lasts from some months to even a year. The majority of people are unable to recover from it as they don't know the cause. The most major cause of tennis elbow pain is the repetitive use of the muscles.
A vigorous activity performed by muscles of hands can also become the cause of the problem. You can also experience it if you have any underlying problem.
Some of the major causes for tennis elbow pain are:
- Typing for a long time
- Activities such as sewing or using screwdrivers
- Painting for a longer time
- Playing musical instruments
- Playing different sports
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Associated Risk Factors
Doing the same movement and not resting your hand muscles is a common risk factor in developing tennis elbow pain. The situation is quite common in both genders and usually during the age of 30 to 50. If you have mild to severe arthritis, you are more likely to develop tennis elbow pain.
People who have weak muscles or exercise with the wrong technique are at a greater risk of getting tennis elbow pain combined with the major reasons.
Treatment for Tennis Elbow Pain
About 90% of the people who are suffering from tennis elbow pain recover with time. Some of the common treatment approaches here are:
- Limiting the activity of hand for some time
- A change in the routine or practice
- Using medications
- Applying for topical medicines
- In some cases, surgery is done to treat persistent pain.
Related Article: How to Cure Tennis Elbow
Steps to Fix Tennis Elbow Pain
Tennis elbow pain can be dealt with with some simple and effective strategies that will also help to reduce the intensity of pain. These practical steps are:
1. Opt for Physical Therapy
If you are experiencing continuous pain in your elbows, then you should opt for physical therapy. The possible outcomes here would be decreased pain and improved power to do activities. You should go to a physiotherapist first to understand all the techniques to eliminate the pain, which you can later do at home.
2. Massaging
The pain is often due to swelling and inflammation. An effective approach to deal with the pain here is to massage the area. Make sure that you are opting for any hard massage to your elbow, as it will only increase the intensity of the pain. Go for light and soft techniques to see immediate results.
3. Stretching
Stretching can help you to improve the movements of your hand. If you cannot move your hand because of pain, then doing some simple stretches such as light extension will increase your flexibility. All of this together will simplify the movements of your hand and enable you to do daily activities.
4. Focus on Full Body Workouts
Some exercises put a strain on your forearm muscles, so you should not do them while you have pain in your hand. But, if you want to continue your workouts, then opt for full-body routines. A wholesome full-body workout will help in improving your form and will add strength to your hand muscles.
5. Eat to Reduce Inflammation
Tennis elbow pain includes inflammation in hand. One of the best ways to combat this problem is to eat the right food. Focus on eating foods that reduce inflammation in the body. Use an omega-three fish oil supplement to reduce the inflammation in the body, which will further help in dealing with pain.
6. Hot and Cold Therapies
A warm therapy such as using a warm bottle on the inflamed area is easy to deal with pain. Another great way to deal with the problem is to apply ice to the area. Using these therapies helps in increasing the blood flow to the area and hence works to fix the pain.
7. Use a Tennis Elbow Recovery Bar
A flexbar is an effective tool to deal with tennis elbow pain. It helps in strengthening the muscles of the hand and increases the flexibility of your arms. You can also deal with future risks and accidents by using flexbar. Make sure to add it to your daily warm-up routine to rule out all the possible risks.
8. Include Medicines
Medicines are one of the sure ways to deal with the problem. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are a common treatment of choice for tennis elbow pain. These medicines decrease the intensity of pain and give your arms relaxation.
Management and Prevention of Elbow Pain
You can prevent the pain by following some simple steps:
- If you feel pain in the area, immediately stop doing the specific activity causing you pain.
- If you cannot stop the activity, then find an alternating solution to perform it.
- Improve your sports technique if you are into some games.
- Wear a splint on your elbow for added comfort.
- Work to increase the strength of your arm muscle by simple exercises.
- Avoid lifting heavyweight and take some rest to subside the pain.
Related Article: Blow Up Your Forearms Using a Forearm Twister
Conclusion
You should work on a proactive approach while dealing with tennis elbow pain. Doing nothing to subside it will only worsen the situation and can bring some harmful consequences. Focus on your techniques, the food you eat, and include medicine in your diet to quickly recover from the painful condition.
After you have recovered from pain, you need to listen to the needs of your body. If you face the situation again, then it is best to consult a doctor or physician.
