If you’ve ever played a game of tennis, you know that you use your arms (and a racket) in order to hit/return the tennis ball across the court to the other side. The repeated and intense motion tennis players use can sometimes lead to tennis elbow, which is a term used to describe pain on the outside of a person’s elbow.
To get more scientific, tennis elbow generally occurs when the tendon of the wrist extensor muscles experience inflammation at the point where they insert into the elbow. People who play tennis, as well as other sports, can get tennis elbow, which either happens suddenly or over a period of days/weeks. If and when it’s a chronic problem then it messes with an athlete’s schedule, for sure.
How do you know if you have tennis elbow? Try this: find the bony part of the outside of your elbow and then feel below it– is it painful? If so, you might have tennis elbow. Other symptoms of tennis elbow include not being able to grasp things as well as you used to, or having difficulty opening a door knob, or even finding it difficult to shake hands with others.
Tennis elbow can be particularly painful because this part of the body has more pain receptors than others. The area affected may feel very tender to the touch.
For those who play tennis, be careful with your backhand shots. If your technique is not good, you might be overloading key muscles to the point where tears are caused leading to inflammation and pain.
Chiropractic care for tennis elbow aims to reduce a person’s pain, first and foremost, as well as inflammation. A chiropractor knows how to treat the area around the elbow such that inflammation is reduced over time, naturally. Rest, ice packs, wearing a support brace, massage, stretching and exercise are all things which can help achieve positive results.
If you have– or think you might have– tennis elbow, visit New City Chiropractic Center in order to relieve the pain and, ultimately, get back to playing sports and using your elbow in a normal fashion. For an appointment, call 845-634-8877.
