• Request Appointment
  • Verify Insurance
  • Research Library
  • Exercise Library
Call/Text Us: 262-345-4166
HealthFlex
×
  • Appointments
  • About Us
  • Services
    • Chiropractic
    • Physical Therapy
    • Sports Medicine
    • Pediatric Care
    • Senior Care
    • X-Ray & Labs
  • Store
    • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My account
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ

How To Fix Tennis Elbow & Golfer’s Elbow

How To Fix Tennis Elbow & Golfer’s Elbow
April 20, 2020Dr. Grant RadermacherPain Relief

They’re a giant pain in the, well, elbow.

And you don’t even have to have ever stepped foot on a tennis court or golf course. Golfer’s and tennis elbow, or medial and lateral epicondylitis, are naggingly painful inflammatory conditions that are named for the repetitive movement patterns and loading of the forearm musculature required by each sport. But there are a ton of activities that can lead to these overuse injuries – anything from holding a baby to throwing a football or even repeated typing and texting with poor body mechanics.

What is epicondylitis?

You use your elbows constantly, but you probably don’t think much about how the joint works unless there’s pain.

Epicondyles are the bony protuberances on both the inside and outside of your elbow where 9 important sets of muscles that control the wrist attach. Doing the same movement with your elbow over and over can cause inflammation, or tendinopathies, at the point where the tendons attach to the bone.

So what’s the difference between tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow?

Medial epicondylitis (Golfer’s elbow)

The medial epicondyle is located on the inside aspect of your elbow and is an attachment point for the wrist flexors. Pain and inflammation at this location is called medial epicondylitis, and is often referred to as “golfer’s elbow.” It’s associated with golf because a ton of stress is placed on the muscle attachments at the inside of the elbow at the peak of a golfer’s backswing.

Couple that with some poor shoulder biomechanics, repeat this kind of motion thousands and thousands of times over the course of a golf season and it’s easy to see why microtears and inflammation surrounding those tendons is so common.

Patients with medial epicondylitis often complain of pain starting at the medial epicondyle and sometimes extending down the forearm, stiffness in the elbow, weakness in the hands and wrist, and sometimes numbness or tingling in the ring and pinky finger due to compression of the ulnar nerve.

Lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow)

The lateral epicondyle is located on the outside of the elbow. Pain and inflammation at this point is called lateral epicondylitis, usually referred to as “tennis elbow.” It’s called tennis elbow because the follow-through when swinging a tennis racket puts a ton of stress on those tendon attachment points on the outside of the elbow.

It’s also sometimes referred to as “computer elbow” or “mouse elbow” because it commonly strikes folks who spend hours at the computer as well.

Symptoms usually include pain on the outside of the elbow, pain gripping or squeezing with your hands, and/or weakness in your grip strength.

The fix?

Epicondylitis has always been a challenging condition for mainstream medicine to treat, which in practice has meant that patients are left with some not-so-helpful common advice for treatment. That usually includes the dreaded “Ice, ibuprofen, and rest” coupled with some old-school strengthening exercises (e.g. squeezing balls), corticosteroid injections and sometimes even surgery. The old-school approach generally has limited – if any – long-term success.

But there’s a better way to treat achy tendons in your elbow, and that’s with a two-pronged approach of remodeling the tendons with eccentric exercises and reinforcing them with kinesio taping.

Disclaimer: Please consult a doctor or healthcare professional to get a medical diagnosis and advice on a treatment plan for your particular condition before beginning any self-treatment described here.

Eccentric exercises

Eccentric exercises are exercises in which the muscle lengthens as it tenses. Think of a biceps curl. When you raise the dumbbell, your bicep shortens and tightens. That’s concentric contraction. When you lower the weight, the muscle lengthens, straining against the force of the weight. That’s eccentric.

You can load and remodel the tendons in the elbow much more effectively eccentrically than with concentric exercises. Clinical studies have shown that 80% of elbow pain sufferers report improvement with eccentric exercises even when traditional medical treatment failed them.

We’ll be using a rubber bar called the Theraband Flexbar. You can get it at Ascent Chiropractic or on our online store.

1. Tyler Twist for tennis elbow


For tennis elbow, the specific movement is called the Tyler Twist. To do it, you hold the bar upright at your side using the hand connected to the sore elbow, then grasps it near the top with the good hand. The top hand twists as the bar is brought around in front of the body and positioned perpendicular to the ground; the hand of the painful arm then takes over, slowly untwisting the bar by flexing the wrist.

For tennis elbow, you’ll be doing this daily for 3 sets of 15 repetitions for a minimum of six weeks – it should only take about five minutes per day.

2. Reverse Tyler Twist for golfer’s elbow

The reverse version of the Tyler Twist exercise works equally well for golfer’s elbow. It’s the same exercise as the Tyler Twist, only with different hand placements. The Flexbar is twisted in the opposite direction to help strengthen the muscles in the lower forearm.

Again, this is done daily for 3 sets of 15 repetitions for at least six weeks.

Kinesio Taping

Finally, you’re going to want to use kinesio tape or RockTape to give extra reinforcement to those tendons and minimize the stress being placed on them throughout your day – check with your chiropractor on exactly how it should be applied for your specific condition. You’ll want to use about 70% of the tape’s tension in the middle of a strip (directly over the painful joint) and 0% tension at the ends.

Correcting the entire chain

While the pain may be isolated to the elbow, there’s almost always dysfunction also going on in other joints as well – especially the shoulder and scapula. When bigger muscles aren’t doing their job effectively, it usually leads to overuse of the smaller muscles.

Every body’s different, so there’s not a true one-size-fits-all treatment plan. At Ascent Chiropractic, we’ll address your elbow pain directly but also look at your overall alignment and muscle patterns in order to identify and correct its root cause, so you can avoid it in the future.

The Ascent Chiropractic Difference

At Ascent Chiropractic we’re committed to not just relieving that nagging elbow pain but to correcting it’s cause and optimizing your body to function better than it ever has before. Our unique, low-force, evidence-based approach to treatment allows us to correct biomechanics, restore normal function, and get you out of pain and on the road back to optimal health.

Don’t want chronic pain and inflammation to be part of your future? Schedule an appointment by calling us at 262-345-4166 or use our online scheduling app.




Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Comments

Olivier Devroede Reply
May 2, 2020

This is very interesting, however, I have this kind of pain in my wrist. So do you have any advice for me? From the looks of your exercises, they might worsen the condition.
I think I have this from using a regular mouse too often, so now I got an ergonomic one. It is better, but not completely gone.

Just side note that you can remove later, but I cannot enter my website, so the commentluv is actually not working for me.

Aman kumar Reply
May 24, 2020

Wow,
Your Blog has lots of useful tips and tricks and I really appreciate your effort. Thanks for sharing such a motivating blog.

– Visit our blog here .

VLC Media Player Reply
June 24, 2020

Splendid article, thanks for sharing.

Rogers Reply
June 30, 2020

When i was doing this excercise it increase my pain what shoul i do should i stop or reduced number of reps i was using heavy tennis racquets about reading review for this blog

delhiphysiocare Reply
July 3, 2020

Are you having problems in stretching your arms,delhiphysiocare help to fix it Tennis Elbow injury, physiotherapist may prescribe a list of exercises that can help you to ease tennis elbow injury

M Billah Reply
July 4, 2020

Very useful article indeed. But I don’t get the fact how hovering mouse for hours can put stress on the collateral ligaments! The tips seem interesting and of course, it’s thousandfold better than taking any painkiller

M Billah Reply
July 4, 2020

I can resist the urge to include my blog here, hope it’ll add value to your readers somehow.
https://ticksoftime.com

dequervaintherapy Reply
July 20, 2020

Great post!
Thanks for sharing this post here with us.

dequervaintherapy Reply
July 20, 2020

I just love to read this blog!!! Keep sharing such informative posts. Watch this video to know about De Quervain’s Tape – Treating De Quervain’s Disease and De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis Symptoms

Abilogun Ebizimor Reply
September 21, 2020

These tips are so useful. I love the graphical illustration.
Thanks

Robert Miller Reply
September 22, 2020

This is very helpful. Thank you for sharing these amazing tips. I am definitely going to try.

Mintskill HR Solutions LLP Reply
October 21, 2020

Very valuable information

Add Comment Cancel


This blog uses premium CommentLuv. Enable CommentLuv?Show more posts

Ascent Chiropractic

16620 W Bluemound Rd
Brookfield, WI 53005
Phone: 262-345-4166
Fax: 262-753-6908
[email protected]

  • Banded Glute Bridges & 3-Way Planks: The Smart DIY Fix For Back Spasms Feb 22

    Not all musculoskeletal problems are the same! There’s a common assumption that...

  • Beet Juice: The Newest ‘Performance Enhancing Drug’? Feb 15

    Can beet juice improve athletic performance? One of the latest hypes for...

  • Better, Safer Alternatives to the “Big 4” Lifts Feb 8

    More gym gains, fewer nagging injuries! Contrary to popular long-standing belief, you...

  • Will Going Out In The Cold Give You A Cold? Feb 1

    Can you really get sick from cold temperatures? Your mom always told...

  • The Back Exercise Everyone Needs To Add To Their Workout Jan 25

    Make this back exercise a staple. You know how important back strength...

  • How To Get Rid of Migraines Fast (and For Good!) Jan 18

    Got migraines? Here’s what works. If you’re one of the 39 million...

  • EVERYTHING You Know About Stretching Is Wrong Jan 11

    Quite a stretch: Stretching myths debunked! There are lots of reasons people...

  • 5 Resolutions We Should All Be Making For Our Physical & Mental Health In 2021 Jan 4

    Here’s how to start the New Year off right! The Year-That-Must-Not-Be-Named is...

  • Don’t Have Time For A Full Workout? Try Exercise “Snacks” Instead Dec 28

    Exercise doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. If you don’t have the time...

  • Use Acupressure to Clear Congested Sinuses in 30 Seconds Dec 21

    Stuffy sinuses are no fun. Especially in 2020, where every sniffle is...

  • Cortisone Steroid Injections: Can They Actually Make Things Worse?! Dec 14

    Cortisone Shots: The good, the bad and the ugly. Cortisone has been...

  • The Best Social-Distanced 2020 Holiday Events in Southeastern Wisconsin Dec 7

    Get out of the house & celebrate the holidays! Amid the current...

Office Hours
Mon - Fri: 8:30am - 5:30 pm
Saturday: 8:30am - 12:30 pm

262-345-4166

[email protected]

16620 W Bluemound Rd #405, Brookfield WI 53005

Click to open a larger map

Copyright 2021 © Ascent Sports & Wellness. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy