It's not uncommon for tennis players to express their concern about developing tennis elbow as a result of playing too much tennis. For those of you who enjoy the game of tennis, there is a chance you may have encountered the dreaded tennis elbow at some point during the tennis season It can hamper your game and even end your season prematurely, depending on the severity.
Tennis elbow, or medically known as lateral epicondylitis, is a common condition encountered not only by those who enjoy playing tennis for which is it known, but also by anyone whose daily activities involve repetitive extension of the wrist (the position of your wrist when doing push-ups), such as kayakers, paddlers carpenters, chefs and most other people who are engaged in manual labor jobs.
It is caused by irritation, inflammation and small tears of the tendons in the extensor muscles of your forearm where the tendon attaches to the bone. This outermost area of the elbow becomes quite tender too the touch If you are a tennis player who loves to hit strong and powerful backhands, in which you whip the racket around with great speed, it is easy to understand why this might affect you.
While it may become a fairly debilitating condition, it also can be managed without a visit to your doctor if caught early enough. Icing 15 to 20 minutes two times a day may help with pain and inflammation, anti-inflammatories can be beneficial only in the short term, as long term use of anti-inflammatories can be dangerous to your health.
Controlled, specific exercises of the forearm muscles every other day and sometimes before light activity may be helpful in prevention. Strengthening of the forearm muscles through regular wrist extension and flexion exercises with added weight resistance can also help relieve tennis elbow pain.
Geoff Hunt is a certified personal fitness trainer and well-known fitness author and the author of the popular 130-page eBook:
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