If you are experiencing tennis elbow pain or elbow tendonitis, Apex Manual Therapy will identify the root cause to effectively and efficiently treat the problem. Our advanced physical therapists have obtained the highest level of orthopedic physical therapy training and are recognized as Fellows of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy, FAAOMPT. This educational achievement is beyond the doctorate level and guarantees the gold standard care for musculoskeletal conditions. To date there are about 1800 fellows in America.
When you schedule a visit with Apex Manual Therapy the entire visit is spent one-on-one with a fellow to provide the best tennis elbow relief possible. If you live in the greater Austin or Pflugerville, Texas area.....
Schedule a free consultation with our advanced therapists to discuss tennis elbow therapy options. We guarantee you’ll see the difference in our approach and your results.
What is Elbow Tendonitis?
Tennis elbow pain is also referred to as elbow tendonitis. “Itis” implies inflammation, however, new studies show no signs of the classical inflammatory process. Therefore, tendonitis is now being called tendopathy.
You may also see tennis elbow or elbow tendonitis referred to as lateral epicondylopathy. Lateral meaning the outside, epicondyl meaning elbow, and opathy meaning a disorder. The disorder lies within the tendon fibers.
What is a Tendon and Tendonpathy?
A tendon is a fibrous band of connective tissue that attaches the muscle to the bone. The connective tissue is made up primarily of collagen.
Tendons are poorly vascularized, meaning they don’t have a good supply of blood. This poor blood supply is responsible for the slow healing of tendons.
Tendonopathy is a disorder with the collagen fibers which make up the tendon. Studies reveal the collagen fibers are disoriented instead of having their normal parallel formation.
Tendon fibers have a waveform structure that can provide more length when pulled taught. If the fibers are pulled too taught disorder takes place and the tendon will adapt to a new resting state. It’s very similar to what happens to a rubber band. When it’s not being stretched there is visible slack. This is a sign of a healthy tendon that can adapt when pulled apart. But if we pull this band too far, the rubber band will deform and take on a new resting position when placed back on slack.
Endurance training results in more vascularization (blood supply) and collagen synthesis (synthesis: building/making more of) for the tendon. Therefore, exercise is the optimal treatment for tendons. However, too much exertion or the wrong kind of exercise can pull the tendon too far, causing further collagen disorientation. If you have too little exercise or complete halting of all activity, you’ve now created a state of decreased blood supply and collagen synthesis, and you’ve done nothing but worsen or prolong your tendon pain.
Causes of Tennis Elbow Pain
Elbow tendonitis treatment and tennis elbow relief start with identifying the cause of the problem. This can be different from person to person therefore tennis elbow treatment must be tailored to each individual’s specific examination findings in order to provide a tennis elbow cure.
The joints above and below the elbow must be assessed as well because the shoulder and wrist could be responsible for the elbow pain. Look at the bone anatomy photo below. Can you see how the bones of the elbow also form the shoulder and wrist joints?
Common causes of tennis elbow pain include:
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Muscle length: too short or too long of muscles
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Muscle strength: too weak or too strong of muscles
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Joint dysfunctions
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Movement dysfunctions
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Nerve tension
Tennis Elbow Treatment Options
Tennis elbow therapy is different for each person and is based on the current state of the tendon.
To provide tennis elbow relief, body mechanics must be assessed. If the body is not moving correctly, the tendon could be subjected to excessive strain. Identifying and treating faulty movement patterns is the first step to a tennis elbow cure.
Along with addressing the body’s movements, tendon training must take place. A tendon training program provides the tendon with the ability to store and release energy (what it was designed to do).
Massage or stretching of a tendon should be avoided as tendons do not respond well to compression and it could cause more damage.
Tennis Elbow Exercises for Pain Relief
The following tennis elbow exercise is for someone who’s cause of tennis elbow pain is from a movement dysfunction at the wrist. Please keep in mind that tennis elbow therapy can be different from person to person and to provide a true tennis elbow cure, the cause must be identified. Therefore, if this tennis elbow exercise causes you more pain or does not provide you with tennis elbow pain relief, wrist dysfunction may not be the cause of your pain and a further physical therapy evaluation is needed.
At Apex Manual Therapy our fellowship trained therapists are able to achieve maximum tendon performance for lasting tennis elbow pain relief. Come experience our approach based on the latest, most update research.
