Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is an overuse injury of the attachment of the muscles and tendons to the outside bony point of the elbow. Tennis isn’t the only cause of tennis elbow- it affects 1 to 3% of the population. It does, however, cause problems for at least 50% of tennis players at some point during their careers. Golfers, baseball players, weight lifters, bowlers, carpenters, gardeners and mechanics can all suffer from debilitating tennis elbow.
Symptoms
Symptoms of tennis elbow include pain when gripping objects or using the wrist with force, such as when lifting objects, using tools, opening jars, or even when using eating utensils such as forks. Diagnosis is made primarily by taking a medical history. Treatment usually requires physical therapy and the use of a brace to rest the tendons during healing. Pain killers, ice, rest and corticosteroid shots can also be used to relieve the pain.
Braces
Tennis Elbow Braces help the injured tendons to heal. Braces specifically for tennis elbow wrap around the forearm just in front of the elbow and apply localized pressure to the affected tendon. The brace reduces the stress on the tendon and lets it heal. Because tendons heal slowly, these braces may need to be worn during high-risk activities for several months.
Mueller’s Hg80 tennis elbow brace should be positioned about 2 finger width’s below the crease of the elbow. The location of the gel pressure pad is critical- for tennis elbow, the pad is to be placed such that it is on the outside of the forearm. For golfer’s elbow, the pad needs to be placed on the inside of the forearm. Golfer’s elbow is similar to tennis elbow except the pain is associated with the attachment of the tendons to the inside bony point of the elbow. Golfer’s elbow is far less common than tennis elbow.
Mueller also makes a full elbow support that slips over the entire elbow and applies pressure to the tendons through the straps that wrap around the forearm. One advantage of the full support over the forearm strap is that the full support helps keep the muscles and tendons warm, which reduces pain and speeds healing.
If you have any questions about our tennis elbow braces, contact us.