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Tennis Elbow Physical Therapy

What is tennis elbow? Tennis elbow, otherwise known as lateral epicondylitis, is elbow pain due to tendon irritation at the outside of the elbow.

It typically occurs in active people either with a sport or a job which requires repetitive motion of their upper extremities. Nearly 5% of the population experiences tennis elbow within their lifetime. Symptoms of tennis elbow include tenderness at the elbow, burning pain which occasionally travels down to the wrist, pain with straightening the arm all the way, and pain with twisting the arm as one would to open a door. If you have experienced tennis elbow, you know firsthand that the nagging pain associated with it can interrupt the things you love to do.

How Tennis Elbow Is Caused

Tennis elbow is typically caused by repetitive movements of the wrist and elbow, which irritates the muscles and tendons starting from the back of the hand to the outside of the elbow. This trauma occurs from upper extremity sports such as tennis or racquetball, or a job which requires frequent lifting and overuse of the upper extremities. Tennis elbow typically develops gradually, making it difficult to recognize when to seek treatment. Golf, tennis, playing guitar or other musical instruments, and many other tasks and hobbies can cause tennis elbow.

Treatments for Tennis Elbow

There are several strategies for how to cure tennis elbow. Your physical therapist at Physical Therapy Central will listen to you about your symptoms and how they impact your life. You and your physical therapist will work collaboratively to develop a plan of care that typically includes strategies to manage pain and symptoms, an individualized home exercise program, and gentle manual therapy to the irritated muscles and tendons. When pain and swelling are managed in the area, your physical therapist will work with you on an individualized strengthening program for the muscles in the forearm and wrist to prevent your symptoms from returning.

Visit Our Physical Therapists Today

At Physical Therapy Central, we have more than twenty clinics spread across central Oklahoma and its suburbs. Our qualified physical therapists specialized in arm pain and dysfunction will guide you every step of the way to eliminate the cause and symptoms of your tennis elbow.

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Tennis Elbow Physical Therapy Locations

Frequently Asked Questions

  • A physical therapy visit lasts about 40-60 minutes. The actual contents of the visit vary based on your diagnosis/need, but typically what happens is:

    1. You check in with the receptionist, make any appointments necessary, and we discuss your health insurance benefits with you.
    2. You go into the gym. You can change clothes if you need to, then begin therapy.
    3. You perform 6-8 various exercises and stretches. These can include therapeutic band exercises, light body weight exercises, or minimal weights. The stretches will promote strength, stability, improved range of motion, and pain relief.
    4. We can initiate other techniques to include manual work, taping, cupping, and dry needling as needed.
    5. The therapist makes recommendations based on your progress. These can include altering the frequency of visits, making additions/alterations to your home exercise plan, or things to do before your next visit.
  • We recommend budgeting 40-60 minutes for a typical therapy session. The only exception to this will be your first visit, which can take about 20 minutes longer due to the physical therapy evaluation your therapist will provide. We also recommend showing up about 10-15 minutes early to your first visit. This way, you can complete the paperwork before your visit time and streamline the process.

  • If we are asking you to do something that is hurting too much, let us know! Physical therapy should not be severely painful. It is not common to be so sore that patients are in pain or it affects their daily life. If this ever happens during or after an appointment, let us know and we will adapt your program.

  • During your initial evaluation, your therapist may ask you a number of questions to determine what the cause of your pain is. This can include questions about your sleep habits, activity level, and work environment. They will also ask for a medical history, and then typically ask direct questions about where and when you experience pain.

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