YOU DO NOT NEED TO PLAY TENNIS TO GET TENNIS ELBOW!
You know I keep harping on the fact that pain doesn’t always come from the place where you feel it, right? Well, tennis elbow is yet another perfect example! Learn more about what tennis elbow is and how to treat it below.
What is Tennis Elbow?
Lateral elbow tendinopathy. Lateral epicondylitis. Tennis elbow. The top of your forearm is where a wad of muscles live. These muscles control the top of your hand and fingers. They are responsible for bending the wrist and fingers back (called wrist and finger extension). If you overdo these motions, you will cause an overuse of these muscles which then creates too much tension leading to irritation and inflammation of the tendon that anchors it to the bone (the elbow).
What Does Tennis Have to Do With Tennis Elbow?
When you hold a racket (or anything with weight and a long lever arm like a hammer) in your hand and grip it tightly, you challenge this wad of muscles to stabilize the wrist from breaking its neutral plane. If you don’t have a strong enough grip (in tennis), every time you hit with a backhand swing, you break that plane and cause the wrist to extend against force and resistance causing an overuse of the top of the forearm muscles. This will cause tendinitis. Long term tendinitis can eventually turn into something more severe called tendinopathy, a degeneration of the collagen proteins that make up the tendon itself.
Recent medical research shows that inactivity of the muscle does worse for the tissue during its healing phase. Eccentric strength training however loads the muscle while it is being lengthened with just enough tension to produce forces that alter the gene expression of the cells of the tendons through a process called mechanotransduction. Which directly reduces pain and improves strength and mobility without compromising the muscles or tendons.
The Key to Eccentric Strength Training
Word to the wise when taking on an eccentric strength routine. Start with very low weight. Emphasis is on control. Gravity will always pull you (or your limb) down but do you have enough control to slowly lower it? Add weight and it becomes harder.
If this exercise reproduces your pain, STOP immediately!
Comment below or share with someone you know that is dealing with tennis elbow. It could be a game changer in their recovery!