Table of Contents
What is a Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is a condition that causes pain in the outer side of the elbow. It is caused by overuse, especially due to repetitive wrist and arm motions. The pain mainly occurs due to swelling in the tendons connecting the forearms to the elbow. In medical terms, it is called lateral epicondylitis.
How Common is Tennis Elbow?
Around 1–3% of the overall population has tennis elbow. Despite what the name suggests, tennis isn’t the primary cause of this condition.
In fact, only about 5% of all cases are linked to tennis players, even though 50% of them will experience it at some point. Most cases occur in people who perform repetitive arm and wrist movements, such as in various sports, manual labour, or other activities. It mostly affects adults between 20 and 65, with the highest rates in those aged 40 to 50.
What are the Signs & symptoms of a Tennis Elbow?
If you have tennis elbow, you’ll most likely feel pain that starts on the outside of your elbow and might spread down your forearm. The pain can worsen when you lift something, bend your arm, grip an object, or twist your forearm, like turning a doorknob.
You may also experience:
- Weakness
- Tenderness
- Burning sensation
- Stiffness
Though symptoms develop slowly, they can worsen over time if not treated. If you notice these signs, stop repetitive movements and consult a nearby ANF Therapist.
What are the Causes and Risk Factors of Tennis Elbow?
The main reason people get tennis elbow is overusing their forearm muscles. Repeating the same motion can put stress on the tissues, causing tiny tears and swelling in the tendons, which leads to pain.
Here are some activities that might put you at risk for developing tennis elbow:
Sports
- Baseball
- Softball
- Bowling
- Golf
- Tennis
- Weight lifting
- Other racket sports like squash or racketball
Work-related activities
You can also get tennis elbow if you’re involved in jobs that require repetitive arm motions, such as:
- Painting
- Plumbing
- Carpeting
- Typing
Hobbies
Tennis elbow also occurs in people who engage in activities like:
- Gardening
- Knitting
- Playing musical instruments
Also, repetitive motion and the force applied during these activities contribute to the condition. Even lifting heavy objects the wrong way can cause additional strain. Plus, desk jobs requiring prolonged typing periods can contribute if ergonomics are not considered.
Other Risk factors
You’re also at more risk of developing tennis elbow if you:
- Smoke
- Are overweight
- Are between 30 and 50 years old
- Frequently lift weights of 45 pounds or more
How does Tennis Elbow Develop?
Frequently performing repetitive tasks, like playing sports or typing, can stress your forearm muscles and lead to tiny tears in tendons. This can cause pain and discomfort. If you ignore it and continue doing repetitive activities, tendons wear down over time. This causes actual damage to the tendons.
The damaged tendons develop scar tissue, which is not as flexible as healthy tendon tissue. This makes your tendons weaker and more painful, so your elbow and forearm hurt and feel weak when you try to use them. The affected area becomes sensitive to touch and movement.
However, your body tries to repair these tears through inflammation (swelling), which brings blood and nutrients to the injured area to help repair the damage. If you keep doing the activities that caused the damage in the first place, your body doesn’t get enough time to heal correctly. This means the cycle of pain and damage continues. The continuous strain prevents complete healing, leading to chronic pain and dysfunction.
Treatment of Tennis Elbow with ANF Therapy®️:
1-History:
First, ANF Therapists take a detailed history. They may give you a questionnaire containing several questions related to tennis elbow. They will ask the following questions:
- How and when did you develop pain?
- Nature and character of pain
- Duration and severity of pain
- Is it radiating to somewhere else?
- Associated Symptoms (fever, tenderness, decreased range of motion, bruising, lump, or weakness)
- Do you feel numbness or a tingling sensation
- Aggravating and relieving factors
2-Physical and Neurological Examination:
After a detailed history, ANF Therapists perform a thorough general physical examination. They palpate areas of pain, inflammation, and weakness to assess tissue damage and check the range of motion. Palpation mainly involves neurological examination. ANF Practitioners palpate nerves to differentiate and assess inflamed and normal nerves. This step helps them choose areas to apply devices.
3-Application of Devices:
After creating a personalised treatment protocol, ANF Practitioners will apply ANF Devices to certain body areas. Treating tennis elbow with ANF Therapy®️ involves positive and negative anti-inflammatory devices, antioxidant devices, energy devices, and blood flow devices.
4-Expected Outcome:
5-Follow up:
ANF Devices are charged after every 72 hours. Your ANF Therapist will guide you about these changes and the total sessions required to treat your condition.
Start Your Journey with ANF Therapy®️:
ANF Therapy®️ offers an innovative solution for managing tennis elbow. By utilising wearable ANF Devices that emit neurological frequencies, ANF Therapy®️ aims to modulate inflammatory responses, promote healing, and support overall well-being related to health. This non-pharmacological therapy provides a safe and effective approach that improves disease outcomes by targeting the root cause. If you’re suffering from tennis elbow, consult an ANF Practitioner or find an ANF Therapist at www.findanf.com to start your treatment with ANF Therapy®️ today!
If you’re a healthcare practitioner who wants to enhance your clinical skills with ANF Therapy®️, visit www.anfacademy.com to learn more about the ANF Clinical Education program.
What are the Complications of Tennis Elbow?
If not treated, tennis elbow can cause problems that affect everyday activities. You may experience:
- Persistent pain, which makes it difficult to perform daily life activities.
- Loss of function due to weakened tendons. This is because of the reduced ability to use your arm, thus affecting work.
- Increased risk of re-injury due to not allowing proper healing.
Is Tennis Elbow Treatable?
When to see a doctor?
If your pain doesn’t go away with home remedies, consult your doctor. This can prevent worsening of the condition. Seek medical advice if:
- Pain continues, even with rest and home treatment
- You feel severe pain and swelling
- You have difficulty in using your arm
Conclusion:
Frequently Asked Questions:
How long does it take for a tennis elbow to go away?
How do you fix tennis elbow overnight?
What is the main cause of tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow can be caused by repetitive outward movement of the forearm, gripping heavy objects, twisting the forearm, and overuse of the forearm muscles.
What to avoid with tennis elbow?
When you have a tennis elbow, don’t lift heavy weights, avoid exercises that put stress on your forearm (like push-ups and chin-ups), and those movements that cause the symptoms of tennis elbow.
Can tennis elbow heal naturally?
About ANF Therapy®️
ANF Therapy®️ uses circular ANF Devices, which are applied directly on the skin after palpation and assessment by a trained ANF Therapist following the ANF Therapy®️ Method, Patented Model no. U202030252, ES1259974.
The ANF Therapy®️ purpose is the alleviation of injury and pain within minutes.
Our aim is that the patient experiences a reduction of pain and swelling, an increase in range of motion, and an improvement in quality of life related to health. Non-transdermal, non-invasive device, NO needles or chemicals are used.
Do you need help with your health issues? Have you been experiencing symptoms of Tennis Elbow?
Contact us, and we will explain how we can help you!
