Treating Tennis Elbow at Home
Tennis elbow as such, does not always require direct surgical or drug intervention, not all cases of tennis elbow, warrant extensive physiotherapy, surgery or pain killers. If detected early, tennis elbow can be treated at home. Before you attempt any of the exercises and techniques mentioned below, please note that you should get the tennis elbow condition properly diagnosed, and should discuss the steps mentioned below with your doctor.
Make sure your hand and arm is properly rested, if during any activity you experience more pain than normal, stop the activity immediately and then rest your arm. Depending on the severity and duration of the pain, you might have to give up the activity for weeks or months on end. While the activity might be a part of your daily routine or might be something you do as a part of your job, be prepared for a life style change in that case.
Using an ice pack, or a just a anything at cool temperature (could be a bag of peas, a pack of salami). The minimum recommended duration for using an ice pack is around 10 minutes, and icing is recommended at least 3 times a day, if the pain is severe then you can increase both the duration and the frequency of the icing. Usually your physiotherapist or surgeon will recommend this activity, and if so follow the instructions to the letter.
A counterforce brace or elbow brace is a specialized orthopaedic brace, that is designed to provide additional support to your elbow, and to keep it warmer thereby increasing the blood circulation to the elbow. You might have noticed a lot of sports men wear this brace as it not only re-directs the strain that is experienced by the muscles but also makes sure that the elbow muscles and tendons have better support.
If you experience inflammation and soreness in your elbow, then elevating the elbow at an angle will usually help draw the blood supply away from the elbow, and thus reduce the pain you feel. It also greatly reduces the swelling and numbness that is associated with tennis elbow.
Get started as soon as possible with an exercise strengthening program that specifically targets the muscles and tendons surrounding the elbow joint. As with any injury, rehab is vital for a complete recovery. Specific tennis elbow exercises will get you back on track in no time. If you are looking to cure your tennis elbow for good, check out this fantastic tennis elbow system.