While it’s true that people who play tennis or other racquet-based sports are common sufferers of elbow pain, tennis elbow can affect anyone who performs repetitive arm motions. Sometimes, the unique demands of jobs like landscaping, serving in a restaurant, or other mild but repetitive labor can cause a repetitive stress elbow injury.
If your elbow has been hurting for a while and isn’t getting better, or you find yourself in sudden, nearly unbearable pain, getting targeted help through physical therapy is vital to healing quickly and preventing future injury.
Symptoms of tennis elbow
Tennis elbow, medically known as lateral epicondylitis, is characterized by pain and inflammation on the outer part of the elbow joint. This is usually due to overuse of the forearm muscles and tendons during repetitive motions—like swinging a tennis racquet or using a screwdriver. The pain might be mild at first, but it can intensify over time. The most often-cited symptoms of tennis elbow include:
- Sharp pain when flexing your elbow
- Elbow pain toward the outer side of your elbow
- General elbow soreness
- Weakened grip
- Pain radiating from the elbow into the shoulder, forearm, or wrist
- Elbow stiffness
- Loss of mobility/flexibility/dexterity
Tennis elbow may seem like the condition you’re dealing with when self-diagnosing, but a thorough evaluation by a physical therapist might reveal a slightly different diagnosis. That’s because many musculoskeletal problems have overlapping symptoms that our experts work with every day and are trained to know the difference.
Treatment plans for tennis elbow and other elbow conditions use slightly different yet highly targeted exercises and other techniques to help people find relief from their pain and get back their strength. That’s why it’s always important to seek qualified physical therapists rather than hope a condition will improve on its own, or with minimal rest and isolation.
Physical therapy treatments to relieve tennis elbow symptoms
There are numerous physical therapy movements, exercises, and stretches to help with elbow issues of all kinds, mostly including:
- Wrist extension and flexion exercises
- Elbow bends, with or without weights
- Fist squeezes
- Wrist turns, with or without weights
- Finger stretches
In addition, we utilize treatments recognized by physical therapists nationwide and based on clinical evidence of effectiveness to complement the tried-and-true path of manual physical therapy. For tennis elbow pain relief, we can sometimes recommend additional therapies, such as:
- KT Tape
- Ice massage
- Muscle stimulation therapy
The goal of treatments is not only to provide long-term protection for a joint that will continue to get daily use, but also to help you get relief quickly. Letting a little pain become normal isn’t a sustainable way to live, especially when you find yourself less able or completely unable to perform certain tasks that involve the joint. Our physical therapists focus on functional, natural healing strategies that don’t rely on medication to allow you to live your life fully.
When to see a physical therapist for tennis elbow symptoms
The easy thing to tell someone in pain is often, “Just go see a doctor!” But for many people, access to medical care, hesitance about certain types of medical advice, or simply the hassle of making an appointment can make that easy instruction a lot harder to accomplish.
That’s why at Excel Sports, we’re hoping to reduce these barriers to people suffering from symptoms like tennis elbow to make it easier to get treatment quickly and in the way that makes you most comfortable. From requesting appointments online to fully crafting a personalized treatment plan with your preferences, we want to focus on you, rather than mold you into a one-size-fits-all program we enact for everyone with elbow pain.
The right time to see a physical therapist is sooner, rather than later. Maybe your pain really will go away on its own, and we’ll be able to give you the best instructions for at-home care, as well as recommendations for how to avoid this injury in the future. And maybe you’re dealing with an issue that’s been slowly getting more unbearable for a while, but it’s not too late to start treatment.
Tennis elbow treatments in Missouri
When you’re in pain, you can benefit from physical therapy’s practical, natural, and personalized approach to tennis elbow treatments at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy. We have trainers who are well-versed in sports rehab, physical fitness, and functional wellness for people of all ages and abilities. Learn more about how we can help you get back to a normal routine by calling one of our nearby clinics or requesting an appointment online today.
Our Locations
FAQ
Conditions Library