Tennis Elbow and RSI
I’ve recently been informed that I have Tennis Elbow, which blows, and I don’t even play tennis!
I learnt that Tennis Elbow (or Golfers Elbow) involves the area where muscles and tendons of the forearm attach to an outside bony area known as the lateral epicondyle commonly caused by over using or putting too much stress on the forearm.
My symptoms included a shooting pain from my wrist down to my elbow after repeated bending of my wrist in a backwards direction in an effort to support my body weight thanks to my sport of choice.
Other symptoms include pain when pressing below the lateral epicondyle on the outside of the elbow, pain about 1-2cm down from the bony area at the outside of the elbow, weakness in the wrist, and difficulty with basic tasks like opening doors, shaking hands or even brushing your teeth.
The cure? Well, much like with almost any muscular injury, it’s pretty much just ice and rest.
ICE AND REST!
I can’t rest! There’s too much to do – although, it may be a good excuse to get out of some household chores…. I’ll note that down. I’ve been told that a combination of Ice, anti-inflammatory creams and backing off the exercise that caused the problem in the first place will help also. This is going to inconvenience me greatly – I can feel it.
But if I don’t follow these steps and I continue in my sport of choice doing the same actions and overusing the same muscles, I may need surgery. That will inconvenience me more so I better suck it up!
Thankfully, I am lucky enough to work somewhere that sells equipment that helps with this sort of thing, so I’ve been doing some research on what we stock and what I’m intending to use to help my poor stressed out little arm.
Firstly, I checked out Fisiocrem – An anti-Inflammatory that quickly soothes the pain of common injuries, bruises, sprains and strains. Can be used before and after Ice treatments, or under a support bandage for acute injuries. It smells good, and the relief is almost instant. There’s no awkward tingly sensation on my arm, it’s not sticky or gooey. It’s just hanging out doing what it promises on its label. Great!
Next, I looked for a support. I was tossing up between the 66fit Jura Epicondylitis Clasp, or our 66fit Elite Tennis and Golf Elbow Strap. The Jura clasp is definitely the more sturdy option, with its plastic clasp and elastic Velcro band to ensure stability, but it wasn’t for me. On trying the Elite Tennis and Golf elbow strap, once I found the right positioning, the relief was amazing and I found the support much more comfortable – plus it’s the cheaper option! Bargain!
Ultimately, as with all supports though, it comes down to taste and preference, so don’t take my word for it – I’m not a qualified professional or an expert by any means. In my opinion though, the supports we sell are all brilliant but when shopping around you need to figure out what works for you.
I’ll leave you with that while I reluctantly go back to watch my mates perform the sport I love.
Physio Supplies Deutschland für Krankengymnastik