Marco Bitran: Tennis Lateral Epicondylitis

By Salem A Brasseur

Introduction: Background

Tennis elbow is a form of tendinosis, which means that there is swelling and tenderness around the small bony part of your elbow, which is known as the "lateral epicondyle." The tendons around the elbow are designed to give the human body an extension reach of the wrist and fingers. Tendon damage or tendinosis is common in the elbow joint area and causes an internal fluid to leak out. If not properly cared for, this condition can form scar tissues, cause severe pain, and limits the movement of the joints.

Causes:

It develops when the muscles and tendons of the forearm and the elbow joint is strenuously overused. This condition occurs more prevalently in men and women, between the ages of 30 to 60. Tennis players of all levels, like top champions - Roger Federer and Rafeal Nadal have experienced this condition, as has tennis players for years, which is the origin of the name. It is believed to be caused by the continued hitting of tennis balls, back and forth, up and down, causing tiny tears in the forearm tendon that is attached at the elbow.

However, anyone can develop tennis elbow, especially if you are involved in other sports that involves throwing and moving constantly, like golf and swimming. Everyday activities can also cause tennis elbow, like typing, gardening, plumbing, constructions, etc.

Symptoms:

The first symptom of tennis elbow, naturally, is pain, which can last up to 12 weeks. This pain is felt on the outside of your upper forearm and down your arm towards the wrist. Tennis elbow pain can be felt when you bend, lift, or turn your forearm and elbow, especially in simple activated like writing, knitting or turning a door handle.

Treatment:

Tennis elbow is treatable and will heal naturally if you give it a helping hand, such as icing the elbow every couple of hours for several days, until the pain is gone. Additional treatment aids, include:
• physical therapy.
• motion exercises to keep the muscles and tendons flexible and strengthened.
• anti-inflammatory tablets like ibuprofen or aspirin.
• medical help with painkillers or steroids to help ease swelling and pain.
• elbow strap to protect the damaged tenons.

Overall, 90% to 95% of people with tennis elbow will improve and recover. However, if these techniques do not work, and your doctor detects a more serious case of tennis elbow, then they will probably suggest surgery, which requires the removal or repairing of damaged tendons.

Learn more about Tennis Turf Toe and Tennis Toe:
http://tennismethod.blogspot.com/2015/05/turf-toe-and-tennis-toe-there-aretwenty_86.html

Marco Bitran: Winning The Set Against Tennis Elbow

By Shem Ouma

One of the most common injuries among tennis players is tennis elbow. Usually this very painful condition has seen many people give up on the game. The problem affects players of all ages and the severity often differs from one person to the next. If you want to continue enjoying this great game, there are things that you can do to prevent or treat this condition.

1. Understanding the condition

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that affects the humerus bone. It occurs when the tendon becomes inflamed, irritated or damaged causing pain in the elbow. While the condition is common among tennis players, it also affects people who lift heavy weights using the elbow.
Some symptoms of the condition include elbow pain that extends to the forearm and tenderness on the outer elbow. Any movement of the elbow causes pain and while the pain might subside overnight, it usually comes back any time stress is applied to the elbow.

2. Preventing tennis elbow

One of the best ways to prevent the condition is by learning the best techniques. Having a good backhand and enhancing your strokes will help to prevent injuries. Having poor form during the game will cause you to go off balance or to hit the ball late, which causes more strain on the arm instead of on the torso.

By overworking the tendons near the elbow, you risk causing injury. Unfortunately, not everyone can be an overnight expert and it takes training and practice to play well. It also helps to strengthen the muscles, which will allow the tendon to withstand more strain.

3. Treating the condition

If you suffer from tennis elbow, there are some things that you can do to relieve the symptoms. Using the right equipment can go a long way in preventing tennis elbow. The racquet you use will have a huge effect on how you play. The idea is to reduce the vibrations that reach the elbow and for this, you need a racquet that has softer strings.

Large, lighter tennis racquets can also help to reduce this vibration. Modern technology is used in designing equipment that can prevent tennis elbow. If you begin to feel the effects of strain on your elbow, changing your racquet can help.

4. Medical attention

If the pain in your elbow persists, it is a good idea to get medical attention. Anti-inflammatory medication can help to reduce pain and the doctor can also recommend intra-articular steroids. Physiotherapy and splints can also help to deal with the condition and you should avoid straining the arm during the treatment process.

The condition is treatable and you can soon go back to enjoying the game you love.

Training with a good instructor is the best way to ensure that you enjoy the game and avoid injuries. The instructor will offer relevant advice about the best equipment and techniques, so that you can enhance your skills. The specially designed racquets might be more expensive than the regular equipment, but the investment is worth it if you want to avoid injury and become a better player.

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Marco Bitran: Tennis Players And Injuries

By Giselle Martin

Tennis is a complex sport that requires a lot of training and hard work. Most, if not every tennis player will develop some form of tennis injury during their careers.

Tennis related injuries could be put into two categories; over use injuries and trauma injuries.

1. Overuse injuries often develop slowly and can start out as mild discomfort that gradually increases and becomes painful. Some common overuse injuries are:

- Tennis Elbow - A very common cause of elbow pain due to the chronic irritation of the tendons on the outside of the elbow.

- Wrist Tendonitis - Caused by irritation and inflammation around the wrist joint.

- Shin Splints - Pain at the front of the tibia bone of the leg (shin bone). Could be strained tendons, but stress fracture is also common.

- Heel Strain - Caused by inflammation where the Achilles' tendon attaches to the heel bone.

- Knee tendonitis - Caused by inflammation of the knee tendons.

- Stress fractures - These generally occur in players lower backs and lower legs. Stress fractures are bad injuries and most of the time the best treatment is rest, for up to 6months.

Most over use injuries can be avoided; finding ways to prevent them is the key. Making sure players have the right equipment is important. For example, playing with properly sized and gripped rackets, and using correctly fitted tennis shoes, not running shoes, and shoes that give proper support, are critical factors.

Always warm up, cool down and stretch after tennis exercise. Having a good team will ensure players are getting the right technical advice, which will prevent injury. Getting the right amount of rest is the most important factor, doing too much with not enough down time will lead to injury. This is where having a training plan will help the longevity and success of a player.

Working with a structured on court and off court tennis training plan will minimize the risk of overuse injuries dramatically by; allowing the body to rest and recover, building strength and stability throughout the body, release muscle tension and increase flexibility.

2.Trauma injuries are injuries that occur in an instant. Some examples are; Sprained ankle (rolling the ankle joint) falling on court and getting an abrasion, straining the knee (sudden pain in and around the knee joint)

Trauma injuries can be scary for players as they happen suddenly and initially can feel a lot worse than they are, some players may go into shock, feel faint and get nausea.

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