A tennisarm (tennis elbow) is a common condition caused by overuse or repetitive strain of the forearm muscles and tendons around the elbow. It leads to pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow. What to do with a tennisarm includes the following main approaches:
- Rest and avoid activities that trigger pain. This allows the inflammation to calm down and prevents further damage.
- Apply cold packs in the acute phase to reduce pain and swelling, and warm packs in chronic cases to improve blood circulation and muscle relaxation.
- Perform specific stretching and strengthening exercises for the forearm muscles, especially eccentric training where the muscles lengthen under tension. This helps the tendon heal and regains strength.
- Use supportive aids like braces or bandages to reduce strain on the tendon.
- Pain relief can be achieved with anti-inflammatory medications such as NSAIDs, either as tablets or topical gels.
- In severe cases or when conservative therapy does not help after months, injections of corticosteroids or more advanced therapies like shockwave or surgery may be considered.
Home therapy with regular controlled exercise and reducing the causing movements is crucial for recovery. A physiotherapist can guide in proper exercises and manual treatments. Although healing requires patience and may take several weeks to months, these measures are usually effective without surgery.
Thus what you can do for a tennisarm (tennis elbow) is to initially rest and use cold, then progressively do targeted exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscle-tendon unit, support the joint with braces if needed, and consider medication for pain relief. If pain worsens or persists long-term, professional medical advice is recommended.
