Tennis Elbow also referred to as Lateral Epicondylitis is a painful musculoskeletal condition involving tendons in the elbow. Tendons are the connective tissues that attach the forearm muscles to the outside of the muscle. Due to repetitive actions and over usage, people face tiny tears in tendons. The tendons and muscles in the elbow become damaged, due to which people experience severe pain and stiffness in the elbow. In most of the cases Tennis Elbow is seen in the dominant arm and in very rare cases it can be seen in both the hands.
Symptoms
- Tenderness in the outside of the elbow
- Morning stiffness of the elbow
- Constant ache
- Sore forearm muscles
- Worse pain when grabbing or gripping an object
- Pain while straightening the fingers
- Difficulty and pain while bending the wrist
- Pain while moving the forearm at palms up position. This is one of the characteristic symptoms of Tennis elbow.
- Pain gets worse on shaking hands or squeezing objects
- Pain also gets worse by lifting things, using tools, opening jars, or even handling simple objects like toothbrush, knife and fork.
Other symptoms of Tennis elbow like mild swelling, hardness and tenderness on touch.
Causes
Tennis elbow is an overuse and muscle strain injury. The cause is repeated contraction of the forearm muscles that you use to straighten and raise your hand and wrist. The repeated motions and stress to the tissue may result in a series of tiny tears in the tendons that attach the forearm muscles to the bony prominence at the outside of your elbow.
Tennis elbow might result from:
- Tennis
- Racquetball
- Squash
- Fencing
- Weight lifting
It can also affect people with jobs or hobbies that require repetitive arm movements or gripping such as:
- Carpentry
- Typing
- Painting
- Raking
- Knitting
Risk Factors
Factors that may increase your risk of tennis elbow include:
- Age: While tennis elbow affects people of all ages, it’s most common in adults between the ages of 30 and 50.
- Occupation: People who have jobs that involve repetitive motions of the wrist and arm are more likely to develop tennis elbow. Examples include plumbers, painters, carpenters, butchers and cooks.
- Certain sports: Participating in racket sports increases the risk of tennis elbow, especially if you employ poor stroke technique.
Complications
Left untreated, Tennis elbow can lead to chronic pain. Damage to the arms and elbows can become chronic, if the activity causing the condition is not changed or discontinued.
Many day-to-day activities will be hampered and even simple tasks become unachievable. This leads to a lot of frustration and helplessness and one may have to depend upon others for simple activities. Prolonged pain or damage might lead one to consider surgery.
Diagnosis
During the physical exam, the doctor may apply pressure to the affected area or ask to move the elbow, wrist and fingers in various ways.
In many cases, the medical history and the physical exam provide enough information for the doctor to make a diagnosis of tennis elbow. But if the doctor suspects that something else may be causing the symptoms, he or she may suggest X-rays or other types of imaging tests.
Homeopathic treatment
Homeopathic treatment for Tennis elbow helps to treat this predisposition and thus becomes a better choice than other treatments. With this, the chances of recurrences of the condition are minimized remarkably. Medicines in Homeopathic treatment for Tennis elbow work wonderfully, not only by helping in relieving the pain, but also by promoting healing of the overused and damaged tendons, muscles and ligaments. Homeopathic treatment for Tennis elbow assists the body in bringing about the normal repair of the tissues most naturally and helps to improve muscle strength and flexibility. Homeopathic treatment for Tennis elbow offers a much better quality of life and that too naturally without any adverse effects.
Homeopathic medicines
Rhus tox
Rhus tox is one of the best medicines for tennis elbow. It is prescribed when there is tennis elbow with tearing pains in tendons, ligaments and fascia. There is stiffness in the wrist and elbow joint, especially in morning. The person feels numbness in the arm when overworked. Soreness in the condyles of the joints is also present.
Calcarea Carbonica
In cases with intolerable, sharp and sticking pains as if parts were wrenched or sprained, Calcarea Carbonica is one of the best medicines for tennis elbow.
Cocculus Indicus
It is indicated for severe pain in the hands and arms in persons suffering a tennis elbow; also, where a person carries things awkwardly and tends to drop them. Cocculus Indicus is one of the most frequently prescribed Homeopathic medicines for tennis elbow.
Ruta
Ruta is one of the most reliable medicines for tennis elbow with stiffness and soreness of the forearms, feeling of sprain and restricted wrist movement.
Bellis Perennis
It is indicated for pain in the outer part of the forearm due to exertion or overuse of muscles. The wrist feels contracted as though there was an elastic band around the joint.
Carbo Animalis
It is one of the most useful medicines for tennis elbow due to over-lifting or straining with weak joints.
Guaiacum
It is useful for pain in the forearms, which radiates down to the wrists with immovable stiffness.
Kali Nitricum
It works best in tennis elbow cases with pain extending to the wrist and down to the knuckles (finger joint) especially.
Causticum
It is indicated for a weakness of muscles with dull, tearing pains, along with a tendency to stretch or bend the joints.
Conium
It is one of the most effective medicines for a muscular weakness of the elbow joints accompanied by numbness of the fingers.
Arnica
When there is a sore bruised feeling in the elbow and the forearm, Arnica is one of the best homeopathic medicines for tennis elbow. The soreness is such that one feels as if he has been bruised and beaten. There is a feeling of sprain or dislocation. This soreness feeling often comes after any sort of overexertion. There is a deathly coldness of forearm. It is an excellent medicine for any sort of injury or sprain or exertion.
Bryonia
The pain becomes worse from any sort of movement, Bryonia is one of the best homeopathy medicines for tennis elbow. The patient feels better when he is resting. The pains are stitching and tearing in nature. The joints swell and are red and hot. The joint is also painful on pressure.
Kali Bichromicum
One of the best homeopathic medicine for tennis elbow with extension to hand. There is pain in small spots. The pains are often moving in nature. One moment, there is pain in one particular spot and sometime later, the pain moves to another spot. There is stiffness and cracking in the joints.
Chamomilla
One of the best homeopathic medicine for tennis elbow with pain aggravated on carrying a weight. There is numbness of the parts along with the pain. The pains are severe and unendurable. The pains are worse at night. Mental irritability is characteristic of this medicine.
Kali carbonicum
Kai carb is another remedy for pain in elbow joint, especially in morning. There is tearing pain in limbs with swelling. Lacerating pain in wrist joint. Burning pain like fire in fingers.
Kalmia latifolia
Kalmia is effective remedy for tennis elbow when pain spreads from the shoulder. Sudden pain when moving the arm. Pain along the ulnar nerve, index finger. joints red, hot, and swollen.