Tennis elbow is a common name for a condition known to medical professionals as lateral epicondylitis. Tennis elbow is when someone feels a lot of pain around the elbow and forearm and the pain is most severe when the person is bending their arm or lifting something.
Someone with tennis elbow usually has difficulties twisting things with their arms – such as opening a bottle or holding a pen.
While the name obviously leads one to assume that this type of pain is caused by a sports injury, tennis elbow usually has nothing to do with tennis. It is generally caused by rigorous overuse of the muscles and tendons in the forearm at the point where the arm bone connects to the elbow.
While anyone can get tennis elbow, it is most common in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 who have jobs that include repetitive motions of the wrist like painters, writers, cooks, doctors and other professionals that use their arms and hands frequently throughout the day.
When the elbow muscles and tendons are strained, you start to see inflammation and tearing of the bony part outside of the elbow which leads to tennis elbow.
Also Read: 5 Stretches After Massage To Enhance Healing
Can Massage Therapy Help Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is pretty common. In fact, approximately 1 to 3 percent of Canadians are said to suffer from tennis elbow at some point in their adult life. The problem is tennis elbow can take a long time to heal, with full recovery taking anywhere from five months to two years. Some good news is that massage therapy has been found to speed up the recovery of tennis elbow and alleviate pain symptoms quite quickly.
Deep tissue massage in particular has been effective as it helps break up scar tissue around the elbow and improve circulation in the area. Over time, this leads to improved flexibility, fewer muscle spasms and less pain overall.
If I am treating you for tennis elbow, I always encourage you to take a break from the repetitive tasks that caused the pain in the first place. While you might feel relief after just a few appointments and want to resume your daily routine, reinjury is highly common and can make things even worse the second time around.
Remember - the damage to your muscles and tendons is still there and they can easily tear again before you have completely healed. Regular massage appointments and at-home exercises will quicken recovery and help you heal for the long term.
Looking For a Massage Therapist in West Edmonton?
Do you have tennis elbow and are looking for a massage therapist in West Edmonton to help treat your pain? I would love to help. Combined with hot and cold compresses and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen, deep tissue massage to the forearm can help alleviate pain caused by tennis elbow very quickly.
You can book an appointment online or contact me to discuss a treatment plan or ask any questions you might have in further detail. While tennis elbow is a common injury that a lot of Canadians will experience at some point in their lives, that doesn’t make it any less painful or life-altering.
My goal as a registered massage therapist in Edmonton is to create a treatment plan that focuses on the causes of injury and to help heal your muscle trauma so you can live a happier, healthier and more fulfilled life — whichever way that might look for you.