Repetitive activities involving the use of your arms can lead to a painful form of inflammation in your elbow tendons known as tennis elbow. Even if you don’t play tennis, this condition can affect you if you repeatedly stress your elbows in physical activities.
If you have pain developing along the outside of your elbow, try some of the following treatments today.
1. Resting
Rest is an important part of helping the inflammation in your tendons go down. Many people with tennis elbow try to push through the pain to continue with activities like sports or manual labor. This leads to an increase of pain and can cause the inflammation to last much longer.
2. Icing
Apply a bag of ice or cold veggies to your elbow to help reduce the inflammation and swelling. Wrap the bag of ice in a towel and apply it to your elbow for about 15 minutes. You can do this as often as you’d like for a couple of days as long as you wait at least an hour between each session.
This is important because overicing your elbow can cause the blood vessels to constrict, which causes more pain and slows your recovery.
3. Exercising and stretching
Tennis elbow limits the mobility of your arm, which can lead to the development of weak and stiff muscles while you wait to recover. While resting is an important part of treating your tennis elbow, it’s important to exercise and stretch too to help reduce and prevent pain and tension in the muscles and other soft tissue.
If you’re unsure about which exercises and stretches are right for you, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist for advice.
4. Physical therapy
The first three treatments are helpful for mild tennis elbow or for holding you over until you can visit a professional like a physical therapist.
Physical therapists are licensed health care professionals who specialize in treatments that help reduce and prevent conditions like tennis elbow. These treatments focus on natural methods that reduce the need for pain medications or surgery.
Visit Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy in Winterville, NC, for tennis elbow treatment
Is tennis elbow causing pain and stiffness in your elbow that is keeping you from enjoying your favorite activities? It’s time to talk to one of our physical therapists at Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy in Winterville, North Carolina, about your treatment options. Contact our team today for more information about tennis elbow treatment or to schedule an initial appointment.
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