416 Ilam Road, Fendalton, Christchurch 8052
Clinic Hours: Monday - Friday 7am - 8pm
Clinic Hours: Monday-Friday 7am-8pm
Published by Better Health Osteopathy on 5 February 2023, Wrist Injuries
As the warmer weeks set in, we’re seeing many patients experiencing the discomfort of tennis elbow, and we’re here to help. Known medically as lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow causes pain in the forearm muscles and elbow joint. This condition is often due to repetitive activities like gripping objects, typing, lifting, or even cradling your baby, and it can be incredibly frustrating.
If you’re suffering from tennis elbow, our experienced osteopaths can provide a precise diagnosis, relieve your pain, and work with you to prevent recurrence with targeted rehabilitation exercises.
Common signs of tennis elbow include tenderness around the outer part of the elbow and weakness in grip strength, which can make everyday tasks like turning doorknobs or opening jars challenging. Additionally, you may experience swelling, stiffness, or tight muscles around the elbow area. Tennis elbow can be particularly frustrating as pinpointing the exact cause of your pain is often difficult, and symptoms can persist over time.
Interestingly, tennis elbow can affect people of all backgrounds, not just tennis players. While it can occur at any age, it is most prevalent among adults between 30 and 50. Those who perform repetitive tasks that strain the forearm muscles—such as painters, carpenters, chefs, surgeons, and even new parents—are particularly prone to developing this condition. Essentially, any activity that places consistent pressure on the forearm muscles can increase susceptibility to tennis elbow.
Tennis elbow arises from the repeated contraction of the muscles in the forearm and elbow. This ongoing strain causes inflammation in the tendons that attach these muscles to the bony areas on the outside of the elbow, known as the epicondyles. Frequent, intense activities like painting, playing tennis, gardening, or any other task involving repetitive arm movement can contribute to this condition. By overworking these tendons, the risk of developing tennis elbow significantly increases.
Through a combination of gentle treatment, rest, and proper exercises, tennis elbow can be managed and relieved effectively.
Tennis elbow is typically diagnosed through a thorough physical examination by your osteopath. During your assessment, your osteopath will carefully examine the affected area, discussing your symptoms, medical history, and daily activities with you to identify the root cause of your condition. If needed, your osteopath may suggest additional imaging, such as X-rays or an ultrasound, especially if symptoms persist or recovery progress is slow. These imaging tools provide a deeper look, helping to confirm the diagnosis and guiding further treatment if necessary.
At Better Health Osteopathy, we employ a range of effective techniques to address tennis elbow. To start, your osteopath may recommend soft tissue massage to relieve muscle tension and ease discomfort. Additionally, joint manipulation and targeted stretching techniques are used to help restore movement and support your body’s natural healing process.
Beyond immediate relief, we focus on long-term improvement. We will design a tailor-made rehabilitation program that includes specific stretches and strengthening exercises to enhance the resilience of your forearm and elbow. This proactive approach not only supports your recovery but also helps to prevent the issue from recurring.
By taking a comprehensive, personalised approach to your treatment, we aim to deliver effective relief from pain and guide you back to your everyday activities.
Your Osteopath will focus on more than just the elbow area. They will examine the entire spine, shoulder, elbow and forearm muscles to determine the root cause of your pain and discomfort.
Our treatment is designed to:
Through this approach, your osteopath can help alleviate your tennis elbow symptoms, increase joint mobility, and address other areas of dysfunction in your body that may contribute to your injury.
At times, tennis elbow can take many months to heal. Sufferers tend to experience ongoing pain because it is tough to rest muscles that are activated in almost every move, such as typing, cleaning your house, and lifting your baby. As such, the healing process can take time as the strained muscle tissue requires adequate rest to repair itself.
If your symptoms haven’t improved after six to 12 months of extensive rehabilitation and osteopathic treatment, a referral will be made to an orthopaedic surgeon. However, surgery is only ever required in rare cases.
If you’re experiencing persistent elbow and forearm discomfort, then it may be time to book in with one of our experienced Osteopaths. Contact the team at Better Health Osteopathy in Christchurch today. Call 027 755 5700 or book online. We’re here to help!
Lorraine Herity is the Clinic Director of Better Health Osteopathy in Christchurch, New Zealand. She previously worked in Osteopathic clinics in London and Ireland, before moving to New Zealand. Lorraine trained at the British School of Osteopathy in London, where she gained her Master of Osteopathy (M.Ost). Lorraine is a dedicated and passionate Osteopath. Her main aim is to help her patients regain their health and to return her patients back to their everyday activities, in as quick a time as possible. Lorraine is also a clinic tutor on the Osteopathic Course in Ara and relishes the opportunity to teach the next generation of osteopaths.
7 December 2022
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