Treatment And Prevention Of Epicondylitis

Epicondylitis or tennis elbow is an injury that develops on the outside of the elbow. This particular area of ​​the elbow is called the epicondyle.

The causes that cause this injury can be due to repetitive movements in which the wrist is extended, due to stress or supination of the forearm. The latter refers to the movement we make to put the palm of the hand face up or face down by turning the elbow.

Repetitive movements cause small micro-tears in the fibers. They also cause poor repair of muscle tendons originating from the epicondyle region.

Although it is commonly known as tennis elbow , it is not restricted to only practitioners of this sport. It can also occur in people who perform jobs that involve repeated movements such as those we have described before.

Epicondylitis has a maximum incidence in people between 34 and 54 years of age. However, no difference has been shown between the frequency of occurrence in men or women. What is more frequent is the involvement of the dominant hand.

How can we prevent epicondylitis?

Here are some recommended measures to take to prevent epicondylitis.

• Activities that are causing pain in the area should be reduced.
• Activities that aggravate this situation should also be avoided.
• Another recommendation is to decrease the time or intensity of the activity that can injure you. In addition, you should include breaks during the activity and perform stretching of the area.
• Use an elastic elbow brace if you are going to perform activities with excessive stress on the tendons in the elbow region. 
• After an activity that required overexertion on the elbow muscles, ice should be applied to the elbow region.

• Another measure is to try to lift objects with the palm of the hand facing upwards. This is in order not to use the elbow muscles unnecessarily. Well, in general, it is weaker than that of the palmar region of the forearm.

At work it is also advisable to use the correct posture.

• Position the arms in such a way that the elbow and arm muscles are relaxed and not unnecessarily overloaded.
• For example, in work in front of the computer, the arms should be relaxed. Also, the forearms should be practically horizontal and resting on the table to reduce static stress.
• The hands should be moved across the keyboard and not held in a fixed position because this forces a hyperextension of the fingers that puts tension on the epicondyle musculature.

And to treat it?

The treatment of epicondylitis is usually effective in more than 90% of the patients to whom it is applied. On the other hand, this injury limits the activity that causes pain and pain relievers are used for this symptom . However, it is essential to suppress the activity causing the pain. That is, you have to take adequate rest.

The Arthritis Foundation experts state that physical therapy and electrotherapy must be added to rest . These two measures are very important in reducing pain and inflammation from the injury. You can also perform a self-massage with the following characteristics:

• It should not last more than 10 minutes and should be done once every 5, 6 or 7 days.
• It should always be done transverse to the direction of the muscle fibers. That is, up and down the elbow, not horizontal.
• It is relatively intense but soft when it comes to performing the movements. It can be painful, and even quite, but never excruciating pain.

In the event that the lesion is not reduced, corticosteroid injections can be made. Or also, resort to acupuncture as an alternative treatment. In very serious cases where no solution heals the injury, surgery may be necessary.