Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that causes pain on the outside of your elbow, typically occurring after repetitive use of the forearm muscles over time. The pain is normally felt most when gripping objects, lifting the wrist up (extending the wrist) and twisting the forearm such as using a screwdriver.
Tennis elbow develops from increased load to the tendons that attach to the outside of your elbow. When this load is maintained or provoked over a period of time, it eventually starts to cause injury and inflammation, leading to pain. The tendons that attach here connect to muscles that extend your wrist and fingers, which explains why pain is often most noticeable during wrist and finger extension activities.
Common contributing factors to lateral epicondylitis include:
Using the Gonstead system, we look beyond the obvious symptoms to understand why the condition developed. Once we can really define the cause of the problem, we can more effectively address the problem at its root. This is why the exam is the most important first step to getting to the bottom of this issue.
While removing aggravating activities often helps, persistent pain suggests an underlying issue. At Northwood Chiropractic, we conduct thorough assessments of:
Through this comprehensive approach, we can identify what's causing the increased load to these tendons and then work to reduce this, targeting the root cause rather than just managing symptoms.
