beating tennis elbow

Beating Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow can be a severe problem for many tennis players of all levels and age groups. Tennis elbow can be very painful and has driven a number of people away from the great game of tennis. To prevent this from happening to you, we’ll give you the rundown on what tennis elbow is, how to prevent it, and ways to treat it.

What is tennis elbow?

Also known as lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow occurs when a specific tendon of the humerus bone becomes irritated, inflamed, or damaged. This causes pain on the outer part of the elbow. While tennis players suffer the condition most frequently, anyone who does a lot of lifting at the elbow is susceptible. Symptoms include tenderness on the outer part of the elbow, lateral elbow pain extending into the forearm, pain during movement of the elbow, especially lifting movements. Typically the pain caused by tennis elbow subsides overnight, but returns when stress is applied to the elbow.

How can I prevent tennis elbow?

The best way to prevent tennis elbow is by having good form on your strokes, especially your backhand. Poor form often causes a player to hit the ball late or off-balance, causing their arm to have to do most of the work, rather than their torso. This can quickly cause the tendons near your elbow to become overworked. Unfortunately, if it were easy to strike the ball perfectly every time, we would all play like Roger Federer. One thing you can do to help prevent tennis elbow is strengthen the muscles around your elbow. This will help condition the tendon and make it accustomed to enduring significant strain. Another option is changing the equipment you play with. The less vibration that reaches your elbow, the less likely the tendon will flare up. Softer strings, especially natural gut tennis strings, significantly reduce the amount of vibration that travels down the handle. Also, larger, lighter tennis racquets with larger sweet spots will help prevent vibration from reaching the elbow. Many racquets have specific technologies designed to combat tennis elbow, such as the Wilson K Three FX racquets, which reduce tennis elbow with their three-part construction.

How can I treat tennis elbow?

When you start feeling the affects of tennis elbow, the first thing you might want to consider doing is changing to a softer tennis string, preferably natural gut. Although gut is quite expensive for string, it can be a quick fix for many players. Wearing a high quality brace supported by sports medicine professionals can also help significantly to offer additional support while you build strength and perfect your form. If neither of those solutions help, your next step might be looking into asking an instructor about ways you could change your stroke to help avoid irritation to the elbow. You should take a look at your tennis racquet as well. Switching to a lighter racquet with a larger head size could solve the problem. You should especially consider the Wilson Triad line of racquets, which are specifically designed to help people with elbow problems. If you have tried all of that and you are still in pain, it may be time to consider more drastic options. Anti-inflammatory drugs, intra-articular steroids, splints, and physiotherapy have all been known to help tennis elbow. You should see your doctor and ask what he or she recommends. Tennis elbow is treatable and if you have the right tennis equipment and the right instructor, you can become an even better player - without the discomfort.