Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that occurs due to overuse of the arm, forearm, and hand muscles that result in elbow pain. Even though the name consists of the word tennis, you don’t necessarily need to play tennis to get this injury. It is largely common in carpenters and other laborers. The term derived because it was a significant problem for most tennis players.

The symptoms for tennis elbow include pain around the outside of the elbow, pain when you shake hands or squeeze an object, morning stiffness or the pain is made worse by stabilizing or moving the wrist with force. Tennis elbow happens when there is an inflammation of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow. Overexerting your elbow is one of the main causes of tennis elbow.

Physical and occupational therapy can help promote the healing of tennis elbow. It involves specific exercises to stretch and strengthen muscles and tendons around the injured elbow. Your physical therapist or occupational therapist can design a specific treatment program to speed your recovery. These types of exercises may include manual therapy, special exercises, ice or heat treatments, and electrical stimulation. In very rare cases surgery and cortisone injections may be necessary. Your treatment plan will vary depending on your age, overall health, medical history, and severity of the pain you are experiencing.

While going through physical or occupational therapy it is important to also rest and avoid any activity that causes pain, ice the injured area, and take ibuprofen. The road to recovery will depend on yourself and your treatment plan to get you the speediest healthiest recovery.

The goal of your physical therapist or occupational therapist is to improve your ability to move pain-free, improve your 

strength, use your muscles the right way and return to your everyday activities. Overall, over 90% of people who suffer with tennis elbow will improve and recover with their specific treatment plan.

We feel like we have the best physical therapists around. Did you know you don't need a referral to get help from a Physical Therapist? Direct access is available for you, please call us and set up an evaluation so we can help get you back on your feet. In Orange County we offer Physical Therapy in Chester, Goshen, Monroe, Port Jervis, and Montogmery. Westchester County has Physical Therapy in Armonk, Bedford, and Hawthorne. In Ulster County we offer Physical Therapy in Wallkill, while in Sullivan County you can get Physical Therapy in Ferndale. To round out our 12 locations in New York, those living in Rockland County can go to Physical Therapy in New City as well as Pomona.  If you happen to live in PA, we also have Physical Therapy in Milford and Dingmans Ferry of Pike County.  Give us a call today!