Tennis Elbow, Anyone?

Continued...

Almost half of those who play daily develop tennis elbow. Occasional players rarely play often enough or hard enough to overstress their arms, and professionals are usually protected by their muscle strength and training.

Epicondyle tendinitis often occurs in a weaker player developing a new stroke or using a tightly strung racquet. To stroke correctly use your legs, trunk and shoulder to power your stroke instead of flailing with your arm or wrist.

During a stroke, the elbow should be fully extended with a firm wrist so the force is transferred to your shoulder. Beginners can start with a two-handed stroke until they develop the necessary strength.

If the racquet is tightly strung or has a very stiff frame, impact from hitting the ball may be transmitted to your forearm muscles. Using a lighter, midsize, loosely strung racquet may help. Cushioned grip hands around the handle of a racquet or golf club may help reduce impact, shock and vibration.

Using a larger grip may also reduce the pain by decreasing the gripping pressure at the wrist. Biomechanical studies of skilled players have shown they reduce racquet acceleration to zero just before impact with the ball. This apparently lessens grip pressure.

Preventing Tennis Elbow

The best defense against tennis elbow is to strengthen and stretch the forearm muscles. One of the easiest exercises is to hold your arm and wrist straight out and squeeze a tennis or racquet bail 40 to 50 times. You also can use weights to strengthen the muscles. Stretch the muscles by doing prayer motions with fingers pointing up and down.

If you develop tennis elbow - reduce your activities until the pain disappears. Use ice (a pack of frozen peas works well) directly over the tender area 10 to 15 minutes three times a day. Begin a very gentle stretching program. With your arm extended, flex the wrist back until you feel tightness, then hold. Do not overstretch.

Use an elbow brace to support the forearm muscles and reduce the forces transmitted to the tendons. The brace constricts the muscle and takes the pressure off the tendon. See a doctor for further evaluation and a possible referral to physical therapy for a supervised stretching and strengthening program.

What else can you do?

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Foreword: Billie Jean King

Comments by Barb Harris
Editor in Chief,
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