How To Self Diagnose Tennis Elbow

Do I have tennis elbow?  

What is causing my elbow pain?

If these are questions going through your mind- please watch our video above on How To Self Diagnose Tennis Elbow.  We demonstrate 4 simple tests to help you diagnose if you have tennis elbow.

The medical term for Tennis Elbow is “Lateral Epicondylitis”.  Tennis Elbow is usually an overuse tendinitis type of problem.  The muscles of your hand attach via a tendon to the outside of the elbow.  Inflammation of the tendon can cause pain, burning sensation, weakness in the grip of the hand (because of the pain) and a very sensitive to the touch elbow.

Our video demonstrates 4 key tests to help you understand whether or not your elbow pain is caused by tennis elbow or not.  You don’t have to play tennis to have Tennis Elbow.

I have Tennis Elbow- what can I do to help myself?

The good news is there are lots of things you can do to self help and self treat tennis elbow.  Here are top tips about self managing tennis elbow:

1. Stop or limit yourself from doing things that aggravate or trigger the pain. 
2. Cooling the area with an ice pack (wrapped in a damp cloth) for 20min helps to soothe the pain and reduce inflammation. 
3. Buy a tennis elbow strap / support.  There are a range of these available on Amazon from £5 to £25 and they can be very helpful.
4. Avoid lifting, carrying or gripping with that arm.
5. Gentle stretches and exercises can be helpful- please see our guide below.
6. Speak to your pharmacist about appropriate medication that you could use without the need for a prescription.

My Tennis Elbow Is Still Bad- what else can I do?

Unfortunately tennis elbow is a notoriously stubborn problem- that often takes months to improve.  If these steps above have not helped you we recommend seeing a Physiotherapist that has expertise in treating Tennis Elbow.  Here are some things your physiotherapist is likely to do:

1. Accurate confirmation about the diagnosis.
2. Specific massage treatment on the muscles to help reduce pain and strain at the elbow and boost recovery.
3. Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive treatment to speed up recovery and helps patients avoid steroid injections for tennis elbow.
4. Strengthening exercises for the hand, wrist and elbow area, particularly eccentric loading of the tendon.
5. Dry Needling / Acupuncture to the area to aid recovery.
6. K-tape to the elbow and forearm to off-load tension in the muscles.
7. Stretching the area to reduce tension and ease pain.
8. Advice about changing the way you do certain activities that may be aggravating the tennis elbow.