Tennis Elbow

The majority of people who experience “tennis elbow” don’t actually play tennis.
Tennis elbow is a condition where a tendon attachment at the elbow becomes injured due to a change in load or activity that the tendon is unaccustomed to eg: using a mattock, screwdriver or crow bar etc. Aggravating activities usually include gripping, shaking hands, picking up a cup or water bottle, wrapping too many presents, turning taps etc.

Many times, people cannot even recall any activity that resulted in the onset of their symptoms.
There are a myriad of treatment options available for tennis elbow ranging from PRP (platelet rich plasma) and cortisone injections, shockwave therapy, dry needling, bracing, manual therapy and exercise therapy. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a “quick fix”. Credible scientific research shows no evidence to support the use of shockwave therapy, dry needling or injections. Some people experience immediate, short term relief following a cortisone injection however, over time, they are often worse off than those that have received no treatment at all. Solid evidence supports the use of manual and exercise therapy for pain relief and conditioning of the tendon to be able to cope with daily activities.
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Your physiotherapist can evaluate your elbow symptoms to determine if the diagnosis is actually tennis elbow or pain resulting from another condition. Home exercise programs are not recipe based and need to be prescribed based on the severity/irritability of your condition and life/sporting/work goals.