How Does Massage Therapy Can Help Tennis Elbow?

Research studies show that massage therapy effective in treating various types of conditions. And now,  let’s discover how it can help to treat tennis elbow. This condition may occur due to different types of activities.

What is Tennis Elbow?

Tennis elbow or clinically known as lateral epicondylitis or also known as lateral elbow tendinopathy. It’s a condition where there is the presence of pain around the outside of the elbow. Pain may also spread to forearms up to wrists. This condition may occur due to overused muscles and tendons of the forearm near within the elbow joint. Also, this may happen due to damaged or injured tendons near the elbow joint. Its occurrence is mainly due to repetitive motions within the arms and wrists or due to an injury.

Although its name comes after favourite sports, this may not only experienced by athletes. People who use repetitive motions within their arms e.g. painters may have higher chances of getting a tennis elbow.

Signs & Symptoms: How to Know if you have a Tennis Elbow?

When you have a tennis elbow, one thing for sure you will experience extreme pain on your elbow radiating to your forearms up to your wrists. And, when you try to move your elbow, you cannot only experience pain but also weaknesses which is hard to hold or getting a grip of an object.  Below are the common symptoms of having a tennis elbow.

• Experience tenderness on the outside of the elbow
• Persistence aching and morning stiffness on your elbow
• Forearm muscles are sore
• Getting a grip or lifting an object is hard and painful
• Painful when bending your wrists while straightening your elbow
• Pain also occurs when you either raise your hands or straighten your wrists

What are the Main Causes?

You can end up having a tennis elbow if you are involved in a series of activities which repeatedly twists your wrists and uses your forearm muscles. Among these activities are:

• Racket Sports such as p+laying tennis, badminton or squash
• Javelin or discus throw
• Fencing
• Weightlifting
• Gardening e.g. use of shears
• Painting
• Plumbing
• Typing
• Carpentry
• Knitting

There are lots of activities that can contribute to this condition. Take in mind that it’s not only in sports you can get tennis elbow, it may also occur due to repetitive twisting of wrists or using your forearm muscles.

What are the risk factors?

Among the risk factors for having a tennis elbow involves:

• Age. Although tennis elbow may occur on various types of ages. But, it’s common for adults aging 30 to 50 years old.
• Specific Type of Occupations. These people have work that involves repetitive use of the wrists and arms such as painter, plumber, carpenter, butchers and etc.
• Specific Type of Sports. Among these sports are racket such as tennis and badminton. It’s common to occur especially on players with poor technique.

How Massage Therapy can Help with Tennis Elbow?

Having a tennis elbow can be bothersome since it may easily reoccur. It may take about 6 months to 2 years to mend itself. And, I know if you’ve got one, you’re looking for some relief. And, now, we’re sharing to you, on how massage therapy can help in treating this condition.

Massage therapy can help to reduce the swelling, improves circulation and improve mobility to the affected area. The friction coming from the massage stimulates the production of collagen within the damaged tendon area. Thus, massage therapy can help in healing the area a lot faster than just by taking a rest.

A Study Show that Deep Tissue Massage is Effective in Treating Tennis Elbow

In a randomized clinical trial, deep friction massage is being compared with steroid injection for treating tennis elbow. Patients were randomized to receive one of the three treatments: group 1 with splinting and stretching, group 2 with a cortisone injection, and group 3 with lidocaine injection with deep friction massage. And after a six-month follow-up, it shows that patients that undergone deep friction massage have a significant improvement on their Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score and grip strength.

Overall, the results show that deep friction massage is effective in treating tennis elbow especially to patients who have failed other nonoperative treatments such as cortisone injections. Yi, R., et. al (2018)

It only implies that deep tissue massage is much more effective and much faster to heal than just by resting or treating with steroid injections.

Deep Tissue Massage and Friction Therapy Combination to Treat Tennis Elbow

Applying a deep tissue massage can help in enhancing circulation. Together with friction therapy, it can help in breaking up the tensions within the tendons. Deep tissue massage, on the other hand, will help in breaking up the scar tissue, alleviating the pain, releasing muscle spasms and improve your overall flexibility.

If you got a tennis elbow after an injury, take in mind that you should not get a massage until at least 48 hours of the injury. It might lead to making your conditions worse. Also, it’s vital to avoid reinjury while treatment is ongoing since damaged tendons are still vulnerable.

A Registered Massage Therapist in Coquitlam is Here to Help

Massage therapists are trained to address muscle and tendon overuse and repetitive strain injury. They are knowledgeable in evaluating your elbow’s level of tenderness including the pain and dysfunction on your wrists and forearms. This will also include examining your range of motion and the causes of its occurrence. He or she will then create a treatment plan that is suited for your condition.

If you think you are suffering from tennis elbow, don’t hesitate to contact us. We can help you in finding the real cause of your pain. Book for a registered massage therapist in Coquitlam. At Evergreen Rehab and Wellness, our massage therapists in Coquitlam are trained to handle tennis elbow. They have also undergone the right post-graduate courses to learn advanced techniques.

Our massage therapists take time to assess and provide the patient with a custom-treatment plan. It’s dedicated to alleviate the pain and prevent reinjury to happen.

Book for a registered massage therapist in Coquitlam now!