Tennis is one of the most engaging and fun sports in our pantheon of competitive gaming. The sport pits two individuals against each other, battering a ball with a racket back and forth. It is a fun-filled experience, and you can see the body exerted in different ways. Unfortunately, what is not as fun is the terminology being applied to a bodily condition.
Tennis elbow is a painful condition related to one’s elbow. In a generalized sense, this occurs when there is a clear overuse of the joints within the elbow. If left untreated, it can result in the elbow weakening alongside other nearby body parts being impacted.
Use the following as guidance when it comes to quickly treating the tennis elbow you have.
Activities
While it may be incredibly fun to play a game of tennis with a friend, it is not fun injuring yourself further. Since we depend on our joints working as intended, we may not pay attention to their health. This is especially important, as the joints in your elbow are vulnerable and can be susceptible to harm over time.
Be sure to lessen your involvement in highly engaging activities while you search for recovery strategies. This will allow your elbow to begin recovery work and ensure you can expedite the healing process. Go for a short jog or run around the neighbourhood block instead! Just because you are ceasing activities involving the elbow does not mean you have to stop moving.
Visiting the Chiropractor
The best professional to reach out to will be your healthcare specialist. Your chiropractor will be able to give you a quick diagnosis of your situation. You will be referred to another professional if it is something beyond their scope of practice. Initially, however, ask your chiropractor a few questions.
The answers to the questions you ask your chiropractor will be important to take into consideration. Sometimes, they will advise you to cease a certain activity or project. They want you to stress putting less emphasis on your arms so the elbows can recover accordingly. It may be challenging initially, but it remains crucial for recovery purposes.
Wearing a Brace
An extension of the previous point concerns the level of pain you are experiencing. If the pain from the tennis elbow extends into your upper arm, a brace may be needed. These apparatuses are crucial to reduce your overall movement. While moving your arm around a bit is key, stabilizing it with a brace is crucial.
Your doctor will generally refer you to a reputable expert for getting a custom brace. Once you wear it for most of the day, you must remove it at some point. Always follow the recommendations and guidance you are given when removing it. You keep your arm and elbow area safe from further harm.
Shockwave Therapy
At some point or another, you may have to consider particular forms of surgery. Fortunately, for most circumstances, many of these procedures are non-invasive. For instance, moving ahead with shockwave therapy can help stimulate certain joints in the elbow. This gentle form of electrical-based therapy is applied to a certain bodily area.
The purpose of this electrical stimulation is to reapply function to an injured tendon. When you overuse your elbow’s joints and obtain tennis elbow, stimulating the area is key. Sometimes, the best way to do this is to jolt the tendons back to life. Pursuing may be scary, but a qualified professional can restate your worries.
General Painkillers
Using over-the-counter medication is not a one-stop shop for healing your tennis elbow. On the other hand, it can be used in tandem with your other strategies. Since tennis elbow can be excruciating at some points, you want to reduce the overall pain experienced. That way, recovery will be relatively seamless.
Continued Monitoring
While a full recovery is possible for your tennis elbow, other considerations exist. Namely, the joints within your elbow can still be susceptible to harm. It may seem, superficially, that the elbow has healed accordingly. However, the tendons and joints can still be relatively vulnerable if it is not caught on an X-ray.
As a result, you want to ensure you continue to monitor the recovery daily. If more imaging procedures are needed to examine the elbow, make the time to conduct them. You want to ensure you can use your elbow again without fear of injury!
