What Is Tennis Elbow – Tennis Elbow Defined

Mar 26
09:07

2012

Carolyn Anderson

Carolyn Anderson

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Tennis elbow is a condition wherein the tendons of the elbows are inflamed or damaged. It is more commonly experienced by manual laborers and athletes. It can be treated with rehab exercises or surgery.

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Tennis elbow is a condition wherein the tendons in the elbow are inflamed. This is caused by the constant tearing of the tendons and overworking them. This condition is most common for people who do manual labor as well as people who love playing sports.
Manual laborers often use their hands to work. Therefore,What Is Tennis Elbow – Tennis Elbow Defined Articles they are more prone to having tennis elbow. These manual laborers include the gardeners and plumbers. Aside from manual laborers, athletes are also prone to developing this condition. This is especially true for people who often play racquet games as they always use their elbow and forearm when playing. Other sports that can lead to inflamed elbow tendons are sword games and golf. 
There are several symptoms that you should watch out for in order to find out if you have tennis elbow. You know you have the condition if you are experiencing pain when you are lifting objects. People who have this tendon problem also feel pain on the elbow. Normally, the pain is not that strong. However, for severe cases, the pain may suddenly arise unexpectedly.
There are many ways to diagnose tennis elbow and the most popular of all is through X-ray. However, in some cases, the X-ray results may not show any problem on the tendons. In order to be sure, it is advisable to undergo several other tests such as MRI and nerve conduction. 
When should you decide to seek treatment? You have to seek treatment as soon as you notice the symptoms. If you are unable to carry objects unlike before, then it is time to consult your doctor because it can already affect your everyday life. You may also need a thorough check up when you start having pains in your elbow during the night. This will not only bring you discomfort but it may also lead to sleeping problems and reduction of productiveness. The same response should hold if you are having a hard time flexing your arm or if you notice any bruise. Before anything serious happens, you should immediately be diagnosed properly if you have the condition or not.
There are several steps on how you can treat tennis elbow. However, you need to remember that treatments are normally done on a step by step basis. You cannot jump to more intensive therapies unless you have finished the simpler ones. The step-wise treatment is also helpful in determining which treatments are effective for you and which are not. 
Non-surgical treatments for tennis elbow usually take months for the patient to recover. For those who want a faster cure, they sometimes undergo a surgery. People who have done rehab exercises for several months already but have not had any desirable results can also resort to surgery to treat the problem on the elbow tendons.
Tennis elbow is not something that you can put aside. In severe cases, it can affect the whole function of your arm. You need to take action as soon as possible to prevent more severe cases from happening.