Most people in Ellisville, Missouri, have probably heard the term “tennis elbow,” but they may not know that this condition is when tendons on the outside of the elbow are injured or overstretched. Based on the name, you may also think that this condition is a type of sports injury. However, many people today get tennis elbow from typing and doing other repetitive computer tasks like moving a computer mouse. If you’ve developed this issue from movements you do at work, there are three treatment options you should consider.
- Get a vertical mouse
Of all the repetitive movements at work that can cause tennis elbow, using a mouse is one of the worst. For one thing, using a normal computer mouse requires that you twist your forearm, and hours of being in this posture places a lot of stress on the elbow tendons. Over time, this stress can cause you to develop tennis elbow.
Using a vertical mouse can help treat this condition. A vertical mouse is much taller than a normal mouse, and its buttons are located on the side. This allows you to use the mouse by turning your hand so that your palm is facing in. The benefit of this posture is that it allows your forearm to sit naturally without the twisting that’s required to use a normal mouse. In turn, the lack of forearm twisting places less stress on the elbow tendons, which can decrease tennis elbow pain and speed up healing.
- Use a tennis elbow strap
People with tennis elbow from computer work can also treat this condition by wearing a tennis elbow strap. These straps are typically fastened around your forearm about 1 to 2 inches below the elbow, and they’re designed to limit how much the forearm muscles can contract. This means that they help decrease the tension on the elbow tendons during repetitive forearm activity. These devices can easily be found online or at a local store, and they’re often fastened with Velcro to make them easy to put on and take off.
- Visit a physical therapist
Physical therapy can be very helpful for patients with tennis elbow from typing and other office tasks. Excel Sports & Physical Therapy in Ellisville can build you an individualized treatment plan for your tennis elbow. Your plan will be designed to include multiple therapy techniques, and these methods may include things like:
Take the next step to treat the pain and other symptoms of your tennis elbow. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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