Tennis Elbow or Golfer's Elbow - Tips on Getting Elbow Pain Relief by Chris Imamshah

Despite its name,"tennis elbow" can affect anyone who does any activity that has repetitive motions of the wrist or forearm. You could even call it Golfer's Elbow for that matter as it very well could affect golfers too.

It is a very painful condition that is described as inflammation and pain on the outside part of your upper arm near your elbow. In more severe cases there could also be tendon damage as in torn tendons which connect your muscle to your bone. Ouch!!

So, now that we know what it is, lets look at some of the symptoms of tennis elbow or golfer's elbow and some tips on how to get elbow pain relief.

Some of the more common symptoms of this condition are;

1) pain when you try to lift something eg. A coffee mug,

2) pain coming from the outside of the elbow to the forearm and back of the hand when you try to grasp or twist anything and

3) pain that continues to get worse rather than better.

Your doctor would not typically suggest an x-ray as this would show everything as normal and not detect the problem. He/she might apply pressure on the tendon in the area to see if that is where the issue is.

The body can heal itself on this one depending on the severity of the injury, but there are ways that you can help it along the process. You want to take this route first and avoid having surgery if possible right? I thought so.

Here are some steps that you can take to heal and get rid of the painful symptoms of tennis elbow:

1. Limit Use of the affected arm - some actually put their arm in a splint for a few weeks in an effort to limit the activity for that arm to allow the healing process to take place.

2. Heat Therapy - using heat pads applied to the area helps the blood to circulate more in that area which promotes healing.

3. Cold Therapy - you can actually alternate hot and cold therapy as well as use them in sync with each other. In other words, first apply the hot, then the cold, then the hot again and so on for maybe a half hour every day. This boosts the blood circulation in the area.

4. Massage - get a professional masseusse who knows how to do massage for this type of injury or you may be sorry that you opted for this therapy.

5. Rest - rest allows the body to get back in balance so avoid strenuous activities

6. Physical Therapy - this can also be very helpful for this condition. There are particular tennis elbow exercises you will be instructed to do.

Expect that the healing process will take a few months so stock up on your patience. Many who get impatient and try resuming certain activities actually make matters worse to the point where surgery becomes their only option so be careful with this condition.

Always look for the natural solutions to any condition that affects you or your loved ones as they are always available and usually have little to no side effects contrary to prescription drugs. Stay well.