Tennis elbow is more often seen in tennis player’s and hence the name. But quite a number of people with tennis elbow have never played tennis. It is a condition in which person complains of pain on lateral aspect of elbow, where the extensor group of muscles of forearm is attached. This pain is accentuated by dorsiflexion of wrist. This is when the extensor group of muscles is put into action, for example while pouring out tea in a cup or turning a door handle.
On examining the elbow joint, palpation will reveal a considerable amount of tenderness over the lateral epicondyle of the humerus where the extensor group of muscles originates. Probably the common extensor origin is damaged and subsequent adhesion binds, torn to untorn fibers and to the joint capsule. Tendonitis and entrapment of a branch of radial nerve may be other explanation for the pain.
Diagnose For Tennis Elbow
- Cozen’s test: In this the person is asked to extend his clenched fist against resistance. If the person is suffering from tennis elbow he shall experience pain at the lateral epicondyle.
- Mill’s manoeure: In this person’s wrist is passively flexed when his forearm is pronated. If the person has tennis elbow this gives rise to tremendous pain on attachment of the common extensor tendons.
Home Remedies To Relieve Tennis Elbow Pain
No satisfactory treatment is available for this condition.
Since many of the soft tissue injuries can cause a chronic problem if un-treated, they should be evaluated by your doctor. In the mean time you can do the following procedure to reduce the pain and swelling of the elbow joint.
- For acute pain, apply ice to decrease the inflammation around the joint.
- Those affected should be advised that the condition is usually self-limiting and that he should, so far as possible, avoid powerful contraction of the involved muscles without keeping the elbow joint still; movement in the absence of powerful muscular activity is the objective.
- Try to know what has being the reason for the complaint to arise. If you know it what caused tendonitis, refrain from that particular activity for some time till the pain and tenderness has reduced.
- Rest alone is not the answer, because it allows the muscles and tendons to atrophy. Hence appropriate stretching and strengthening exercises, which are specific to those joints, are advisable. This has to be done under the direction of the physio-therapist.
- 10 gm of dry ginger is mixed with 15 ml castor oil. This should be taken internally for relief of elbow painful joint.
- Heated papaya or castor leaves may be applied over the elbow joint. Also onion juice with mustard oil may be applied on the elbow joint.