Sports Overuse Injury: Tennis Elbow
Back in December, I played
tennis outside in Long Island. The
temperature was 49 degrees. I returned
one of my daughter’s ferocious serves and wow my elbow hurt. We played the next day again and it hurt
worse. My 12 year old daughter and I had
a weekend rivalry; it was always a close
game. Everything was fine until it got
cold. Why did my elbow hurt?
Because she is a FIERCE
player and in order to compete with her I have to grip hard to serve hard,
return hard, volley hard and lunge for shots that put me in positions that
compromise the arm/elbow/wrist/grip mechanism… leading to TENNIS ELBOW!!Besides
all the gripping and smashing, the repetition of 2 matches within 24 hours was
a major pain contributor. The cold contributed too as I had to grip
harder because my fingers felt numb! This onset of elbow pain had all the
indicators of trouble: 2 sessions close
together, changing playing style in the cold and playing through the pain.
How did I make it through the
game?
I tried to focus on hitting
the ball in front of me. I let the balls
that were out of position go (easier to do that when you are playing against
your child!) And I realized when I was
picking up or receiving balls I was much better off using my opposite hand and
not scooping with my racket or hitting it in the air to stop the ball. I conserved the use of my right forearm
muscles to light activities, applied ice a few times a day and it bothered me
very little.
The pain started to return
when I became obsessive about knitting January through February. Thick, heavy yarn. Knitting for an hour a night. I finally had to put away the needles and my
elbow pain resolved, only to return in March when I had to run through the
airport twice in a week carrying overnight bags. My tennis elbow came back. Worse than ever. In fact it was so bad one night it kept me up
and I even wondered if something was seriously wrong. Night pain is a sign you have bad pain.
But some strong
anti-inflammatories, some office treatments and rest improved it.
Now it is tennis season
again. A
month ago I still had pain with each shot. Physical therapy and taping was the answer. In
fact I was miraculously better. Home exercises and icing help too. 
Since this is my business, I
knew what to do. For those of you who do
not, here are the steps to resolving your pain from tennis elbow, golfers
elbow, knee pain, ankle sprain, shoulder pain, wrist tendinitis and any other
overuse injury.
1)ICE: If you feel even a
hint of soreness, ice the area after play, working out, lifting, or anytime it
is sore. Also ice it at the end of the
day…Just for 5-10 minutes
2) LIMIT PAINFUL ACTIVITY to
what you really love. If you don’t want
to give up tennis, don’t take up any other activity that may bother it such as
fishing or golfing.
3) CONSIDER MEDICATION: If
the pain bothers you at rest, take an anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen or naproxen)
as directed on the bottle.
4) CONSIDER A BRACE: A brace
that limits motion will decrease irritation and let the joint heal.
If your pain persists despite
a week of these instructions, see a health professional. In New York, you can also start directly with
physical therapy which may be the ultimate cure. If 1 or 2 visits do not help schedule a
doctor appointment. An accurate
diagnosis will guide more effective treatment.
Your doctor can also prescribe stronger medications and may recommend
change in treatment or even an injection.
There are non-cortisone injections that are very effective.
Final tips include returning
gradually back to the irritating sport.
I am currently playing only 30 minutes of tennis twice a week and
gradually building up. Consider scheduling
a lesson as good technique can reduce the offending motion. Equipment is also important In the case of tennis elbow, changing to a
lighter racket with less vibration and the proper grip size is essential. When it comes to lower body injuries, a new
pair of well cushioned, stable shoes can be the final cure.
While you are healing, cut
the activity down to pain free motion, and make up for it with a new
activity. It’s the time of year when outside sports
prevail. I am loving biking, jogging,
