Lateral Epicondylitis -What is it?
As an athletic trainer and physical therapist, as well as a former national team swimmer, Mauricio Elizondo understands injured athletes. At 18 years old, he suffered a shoulder injury and had his appendix removed (yes, both happened at the same time!) that forced him to withdraw from his swimming national championship... more
Being on such a prestigious event like Wimbledon, it has made me think about lateral epicondylitis or commonly known as “tennis elbow” and how it is not properly labeled, as this condition happens to almost anyone that participates in strenuous overuse of the wrist and elbow. Some examples of professions that have a risk of developing tennis elbow include painters, plumbers, carpenters, and athletes like cross fitters, golfers, and baseball players.
What are the signs/symptoms of lateral epicondylitis?
Lateral epicondylitis usually affects the dominant hand, and the main symptom experienced is pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow, by the bone that is called your lateral epicondyle. The pain gets worse when the wrist is moving “down” into flexion, or with gripping, or twisting motions like opening a door. Morning stiffness is also a characteristic of lateral epicondylitis.
Here is where it can get confusing, as there are other injuries that can cause pain on the outside of the elbow and can be missed as people bias towards lateral epicondylitis diagnosis too frequently. Other conditions like OA of the humeroradial joint, OA of the humeroulnar joint, radial nerve entrapment, rotator cuff injury, can also cause pain on the outside of the elbow. A trained Physical Therapist can help you differentiate between all these conditions with a detailed evaluation of your elbow and shoulder.
What is the best treatment if I have lateral epicondylitis? Current research supports a combination treatment of manual therapy, dry needling, and shockwave therapy. Depending on the severity and chronicity of the injury, it can take up to 2-3 weeks to notice significant improvement as weakness is usually present with lateral epicondylitis, and strength can take some time to develop.
At Performance Sport Physio, we offer one on one FREE consultations where we perform a detail evaluation of your injury and come up with a definite plan for long term success. If you suffer from lateral elbow pain, give us a call at 727-826-7142 or shoot us an email to info@performancesportphysio.com to get you on the schedule and back to the activities you love!
