How do you treat tennis elbow effectively?

You treat tennis elbow effectively by taking rest, applying anti-inflammatory measures and doing targeted exercises for stretching and strengthening. The best approach combines conservative treatment with professional guidance, such as physiotherapy or manual therapy. For acute complaints, you can help yourself with ice and pain relief, while chronic cases often benefit from dry needling or chiropractic care. This article answers the most important questions about effective treatment of tennis elbow.

What is tennis elbow and how do you recognise the symptoms?

Tennis elbow is a painful condition on the outside of your elbow, officially called lateral epicondylitis. It occurs due to overloading of the tendons that connect your forearm muscles to the bony prominence on the outside of your elbow. These tendons become irritated or damaged by repetitive movements.

You recognise tennis elbow by characteristic symptoms that gradually become worse. The pain usually starts mild and becomes more intense with certain movements. Typical signs are:

• Pain on the outside of your elbow that radiates to your forearm
• Weakness when gripping objects or making a fist
• Pain when lifting objects, even light items like a coffee cup
• Stiffness in your elbow, especially in the morning
• Pain that increases with rotating movements of your wrist

The complaints can vary from a dull, nagging feeling to sharp shooting pains. You often notice that everyday actions, such as opening a door, shaking hands or grasping a glass, become difficult. The pain can also flare up at night, especially if you lie on your affected arm.

Why do you get tennis elbow and what are the most common causes?

Tennis elbow occurs due to overloading of the tendons through repetitive movements of your wrist and forearm. Despite the name, you don’t only get it from playing tennis. Most people develop these complaints through work-related activities or other sports where you often repeat the same movements.

The main causes of tennis elbow are:

• Repetitive wrist movements at work or sport
• Poor technique in racket sports or other activities
• Weakness in the forearm and shoulder muscles
• A sudden increase in activity without gradual build-up
• Incorrect posture during computer work

Certain factors increase your risk of developing tennis elbow. Age plays a role, as tendons become less elastic between your 30th and 50th year of life. Jobs where you do a lot of turning, gripping or lifting also increase the risk. Think of painters, plumbers, cooks or people who do a lot of computer work with poor arm posture.

Stress can also contribute to the development of tennis elbow. When you are tense, you often unconsciously keep your muscles more tightly tensed, which increases the load on your tendons. This explains why some people with neck pain or headaches also develop elbow complaints.

Which treatments work best for tennis elbow?

The most effective treatment for tennis elbow combines rest, anti-inflammatory treatment and gradual mobilisation. In the acute phase, rest and ice help to reduce pain and swelling. After that, physiotherapy, manual therapy and specific exercises are often the best approach for complete recovery.

Various treatment options are available, depending on the severity and duration of your complaints:

• Conservative treatment: Rest, ice, compression and medication for pain and inflammation
• Physiotherapy: Targeted exercises for stretching, strengthening and mobility
• Manual therapy: Mobilisation of joints and soft tissue techniques
• Dry needling: Treatment of trigger points in the muscles
• Chiropractic care: Treatment of the entire movement chain

In the first phase, rest is important, but prolonged inactivity can be counterproductive. After a few days, you can carefully begin with light movements. Ice helps for the first 48-72 hours to limit swelling. After that, heat is often more effective to stimulate blood circulation.

Dry needling can be particularly effective for persistent tennis elbow complaints. This technique treats trigger points in the muscles that can cause or maintain pain. Also for related complaints, such as neck pain or RSI, dry needling can give good results.

How can you treat tennis elbow yourself with exercises and self-care?

Self-treatment of tennis elbow begins with adapting activities that cause the complaints and performing specific stretching and strengthening exercises. Regular, careful movement promotes healing better than complete rest. Combine this with good ergonomics and a gradual return to normal activities.

Effective self-care tips for treating tennis elbow:

• Stretch your forearm muscles gently several times a day
• Gradually strengthen your grip strength with a stress ball or therapy putty
• Adjust your work posture to avoid repetition of stressful movements
• Use an elbow brace during activities if necessary
• Alternate between activity and rest to prevent overloading

You do a simple stretching exercise by extending your arm straight in front of you with your palm facing down. Bend your wrist downward and gently pull on your fingers with your other hand. Hold this for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times. For strengthening, you can start with light weights or resistance bands.

Pay attention to your body’s signals during self-treatment. Mild discomfort is normal, but sharp pain means you are doing too much. Seek professional help if your complaints do not improve after 4-6 weeks of self-care, or if you also suffer from neck pain, headaches or other related symptoms that may indicate broader problems in your musculoskeletal system.

How Ruggensteun helps with treating tennis elbow

At Ruggensteun we approach tennis elbow from a holistic vision, where we look at your entire musculoskeletal system. Tennis elbow often arises not only from local overloading, but from disruptions in the movement chain of your neck, shoulder and arm. Our specialised practitioners combine chiropractic care with dry needling expertise for optimal results.

Our approach for treating tennis elbow includes:

• An extensive analysis of your movement patterns and posture
• Chiropractic treatment for optimal joint function
• Dry needling for trigger points and muscle problems
• Treatment of related complaints such as neck pain and headaches
• Preventive care to prevent recurrence

We understand that tennis elbow often relates to other complaints, such as stress, neck pain or RSI. By also addressing these underlying causes, we achieve more lasting results. You can come directly to us, without referral from your GP, and we offer quick availability for urgent cases.

Would you like to know how we can effectively treat your tennis elbow? Contact us via our contact page or view more information about our holistic approach on our homepage. We are happy to help you on the way to complete recovery and preventing future complaints.