Remedies For Tennis Elbow
October 26, 2009
Tennis elbow is characterized by pain, inflammation and soreness of the upper arm near the elbow. Overuse of muscles of the forearm and arms is primarily responsible for this problem.
Although anyone can suffer from tennis elbow, but sportspersons, such as tennis players and golfers, who make excessive use of their forearm muscles, are usually prone to this condition. The medical term for tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis.
It usually occurs in the area of the arm, where the tendons and muscles of the forearm are joined to the lateral epicondyle or the lateral bony area of the elbow. An injury to the muscles and tendons in this area causes tennis elbow. Usually tennis elbow occurs in the dominant arm. However, it can sometimes occur in the less dominant arm or in both the arms.
Tennis elbow risk factors
The overwhelming majority of tennis elbow sufferers are undoubtedly tennis players. However, people involved in tasks that involve repetitive movements of the elbow, arms and wrist can also develop this condition. Gardening, carpentry, home cleaning that involves vacuum cleaning and scrubbing can cause tennis elbow. People of any age group could be affected by tennis elbow. However, most tennis elbow patients are between 30 and 50 years of age. Men, more than women, suffer from tennis elbow.
Symptoms of tennis elbow
Elbow pain is the primary symptom of tennis elbow. The pain spreads from the lateral side of the elbow to the back of the hand and forearm. The pain worsens while grasping, twisting or squeezing objects.
Tennis elbow treatment
Simple remedies are usually effective in treating tennis elbow. However, in severe cases, surgery might be required to treat this condition. To reduce the pain, you should provide adequate rest to your hand. Activities that cause pain and discomfort should be avoided, until you recover completely from this condition.
Applying ice pack on the affected area helps to reduce the inflammation and pain. Heat compress can also help to reduce the symptoms of tennis elbow. Applying warm baked potato on the affected area could help to reduce the discomfort. To reduce the pain and inflammation, include foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. Herbal tea prepared with celery seeds is effective in reducing the pain.
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