Tennis Elbow Essay

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WHAT IS TENNIS ELBOW (lateral epicondylitis) Tennis elbow is caused from inflammation, or a tear in the tendon, that connects the muscles of the lower arm to the elbow. The inflammation may cause soreness or pain to the outside of the elbow. This injury usually happens to those, who play sports that involve a lot of backhand use like tennis, racquetball, or handball. Tennis elbow can also occur in those who use wrist action back and forth for a major part of the day like painters, plumbers, and construction workers. Pain with tennis elbow usually has a slow development, and can go from the outside of the elbow to the lower arm, and back of the hand. DIAGNOSIS FOR TENNIS ELBOW For a diagnosis of tennis elbow to be correct a person would have to have the signs and symptoms of pain, and tenderness when the tendon is gently pressed on, and a doctor would do a test that would involve the patient to resist the arm being turned up. A full recovery may take 8-12 months with small setbacks. TREATMENT FOR TENNIS ELBOW The first treatment for tennis elbow is to stop doing the repetitive motion that may have caused the inflammation, and to rest the injured arm for 2-3 weeks. While resting the arm you can use ice packs for 20 minutes 2-3 times a day, and take Motrin for swelling or Tylenol for pain as directed by physician. The second treatment for tennis elbow could involve wearing a special brace that takes pressure of the muscles in the injured arm, or having an injection into the tendon to reduce swelling, and pain. The last treatment for tennis elbow would be surgery. One surgery would involve an incision about 3-4 cm long, and the injured tendon would be trimmed, and allowed to grow back together. A second surgery would involve the tendon being released from the bone and then reattached. Changing the way you care for yourself or others may decrease

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