Is It Tennis Elbow? How Can You Tell and How Can You Fix Tennis Elbow?
Did you know that tennis elbow symptoms are common in people who do not play tennis? The main symptom is usually pain originating from the outer elbow joint, the medical term for this joint is the “lateral epicondyle” which in plain English is the prominent part of the elbow bone. There is a common term known as “golfer’s elbow” which while the cause is not actually the same, treatment is quite similar.
The causes of this condition are not limited to sports either. In fact, this condition is like any repetitive strain injury can be caused by any repetitive actions that use the arms and elbows. These activities include playing an instrument, typing, tennis, or repetitive manual work that can increase your risk of tennis elbow. There are so many causes that we could be listing them here all day.
Tennis Elbow Symptoms – What Causes Tennis Elbow?
Once you understand that you can have tennis elbow without ever playing tennis, you should know that the symptoms include a nagging pain in the elbow and upper arm which could be chronic tendinosis, or as we know it, tennis elbow, which is often confused with tendinitis.
You could wake up one morning with pain in your elbow, and wonder could this be a tennis elbow? It possibly is, especially if you know that you have not hurt your elbow, but there is that nagging pain.
Most often tennis elbow is indicated by pain when moving your arm, especially when you straighten your arm and when you twist the elbow joint by turning your hand and palm up.
If the area near the elbow is tender to touch, this is a sign of tennis elbow too. A doctor can diagnose this for sure. A doctor who knows the signs or symptoms can quickly relieve further damage and help so it doesn’t become a long-term problem. In Motion Physical Therapy Chicago has a doctor of physical therapy in-house, so you are in good hands.
You would be surprised at just how many people suffer from tennis elbow; it affects up to 3% of adults in the US and up to 50% of tennis players and golfers. Sufferers are usually aged between 30 and 50 years, however, it affects people of all ages.
Prevention is better than cure, but if you are showing symptoms of tennis elbow, then there are exercises and physical therapy treatments that will help you.
Don’t Panic There Are Many Ways to Treat Tennis Elbow
We specialize in helping people with all sports injuries, focusing especially on tennis injuries. However, many of our patients who suffer from this condition don’t actually play any sports, but are in jobs or have hobbies that rely on repetition of tasks using the upper torso and arms.
We have a lot of experience in the treatment of tennis elbow, tennis injuries, and other repetitive strain injuries. We can diagnose these injuries and identify why you have sustained them. Repetitive forearm activity is a big indicator of this.
We can put together a treatment plan including exercises and stretches that will help you to overcome tennis elbow as well as keep it away. Physical therapy plays a major part in repairing the damaged tissue responsible for this condition.
There are medical procedures available for extreme cases of this condition, such as corticosteroid injections or surgery, but these do not always produce the desired result and long-term treatment and prevention is best addressed by a skilled physical therapist. We strongly recommend physical therapy and activity modification over surgery and corticosteroid injections.
A full evaluation by our physical therapist will help to determine the cause of your elbow pain. This includes assessing the joints around the elbow as well as the neck to pinpoint the elbow pain’s root cause.
Tennis Elbow Physical Therapy at Chicago Physical Therapy Studio
In Motion Physical Therapy Chicago is conveniently located in Lincoln Park. We provide a range of hands-on treatments, techniques, and mobilizations that can help with pain relief for soft tissue injuries.
Due to the current pandemic, we can arrange virtual Telehealth visits, where you can have PT in the comforts of your own home if that makes you feel more comfortable. Our physical therapy studio in Chicago is clinically cleaned after each client and we currently operate by appointment only, one-on-one. This means that the only people in the clinic for your visits will be you and your physical therapist.
We have a mission to provide quality physical therapy and personal training services to active individuals and the general public. Our aim is to get you fit and ready to resume the activities that you love — pain-free, without surgery, or prolonged time away from the activities you love.
We focus on sports injuries; working with tennis, runners, basketball players to name a few, but treat anyone that requires physical therapy (whether or not it is related to a sport).
If you are a female that requires the services of a female physical therapist in Chicago, then In Motion Physical Therapy is the best physical therapy clinic. We only have female physical therapists at In Motion PT.
Common Tennis Injuries Our Physical Therapist Treats Are:
- Shoulder impingement and bursitis
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Tendonitis and carpal tunnel injuries
- Lateral Epicondylitis (tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow)
- Low back pain
- Ankle strains and sprains
- Groin or hip pain
We encourage quality care, empathy, and a synergistic relationship between the physical therapist and the patient.
The focus is on positive outcomes for each patient.
Our physical therapist will work with you during treatment to decrease the pain associated with your injury and restore your mobility and function, getting you back on track as quickly as possible!