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What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow, sometimes referred to in the prior art alternatively as lateral epicondylitis or epicondylalgia externa, is frequently found in men and women between the ages of thirty and fifty who engage in racket sports. In people in the aforesaid age group, muscles and tendons become less supple and less able to absorb and dissipate the forces associated with sudden acceleration and deceleration which cause the inflammation associated with tennis elbow particularly where the extensor muscle mass meets the bone. Tennis elbow is also found in individuals pursuing activities such as golf and bowling. It is also found in certain trades such as carpentry, due to repeated hammering and driving of screws, and house painting, due to the forward and backward stroke of the brush.
What causes tennis elbow?
Although "tennis elbow" is frequently thought of as an inflammation of the extensor muscles of the forearm, such inflammation may be accompanied by radial supinator inflammation due to repetitive pronation and supination. Such inflammation of the supinator muscle mass can cause tension on the overlying extensor muscle and resultant inflammation. The forearm extensor and supinator muscles are those that come into play during the extension, raising or snapping of the wrist. Every time a tennis ball hits a racket, there is a certain force or mechanical shock wave propagated up the forearm muscles which are already in tension due to the weight and acceleration of the racket and the tension caused by the centrifugal force of the stroke. If the ball is mis-hit, an extra force is added resulting in a snap of the wrist. It is this extra repetitive stress that causes the trauma leading to inflammation in the extensor and supinator muscles.
Devices to help tennis elbow pain
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