Repetitive activities and improper action at gym will lead to elbow pain (tennis elbow) ?

Tennis elbow –  ‘Success comes after practice’

Updated: 7 April, 2020

Editor: Gausalyah (Physiotherapist of Grand Care Rehabilitation)

Another amazing journey with our client MR. Kok aged 36 Year old who diagnosed with tennis elbow.  What is tennis elbow: it also called lateral epicondylitis and caused by overuse or receptive activities which causing the forearm muscle and tendon to damage or inflamed. This condition more common in athletic those using their arm (tennis, badminton, weight lifters) and workers more uses their hand (carpenters, construction workers and etc.). Mr Kok visits our centre early October 2019 to seek treatment for his condition. Mr Kok major complaint was his Right outer side of elbow pain during elbow movement, hand gripping, or even holding small object (such as cup and small bottle), pain was last for 3-4 weeks. The pain became severe after he carried 12 kg dumbbell at gym and the pain scale was VAS 8/10 during movement, no pain during rest. He still continue to play badminton and carried weight at gym 3-4 times a week with his friends.

Through our physiotherapy assessment, my short term goals were to reduce the pain and improve muscle strength (targeted tricep, brachioradialis, extensor carpi radialis) within 5 sessions, improves his ADL and quality of life within 10 sessions. Mr Kok received acuphysio treatment:  acupuncture for 15 minutes and physiotherapy for 45 minutes. After 1st session the pain over the Right elbow reduced slightly only with VAS 7/10, on the 5th session the Right elbow pain reduce to 2/10 during gripping and 4/10 during movement.  On 6th session of treatment no pain during gripping and mild pain during elbow movement with 12kg dumbbell VAS 1/10, and strength of elbow and forearm muscles improved significantly.

Here I’m sharing the treatment and exercises that Mr Kok received at our centre:

  1. Acupuncture: to improves the blood circulation and enhance the healing process
  2. Soft Tissue Manipulation of injured area: to reduce the internal and external inflammation
  3. Joint Mobilization of Radial ulnar joint: to reduce pain and improve elbow movement
  4. Deep tendon friction: release tight muscles
  5. Stretching of forearm muscle: to improve the flexibility of related muscles
  6. Wrist and elbow eccentric and concentric control exercises slowly progress to resistance exercises
  7. Ultrasound: for wound healing
  8. Kinesiology taping: to inhibit the overuse muscles and to facilitate the weak muscles.
  9. Education: advised him to stop carrying heavy weights for 2 weeks and do proper stretching before play badminton

All the exercises and treatment are tailored to each an individual based on our understanding about pathophysiology of the condition

‘Success comes after practice’