What is an Epicondylitis?
Epicondylitis is an injury developed to your elbow due to repeated movements or combination of pain and inflammation of muscles around epicondyle. This disorder is commonly acquired by very active individuals. The inflammation of the epicondyle is usually obtained by being active on sports, which in turn develops repetitive stress that is caused to a specific part of the body. Minor injury may lead to chronic injury or become severe if there will be repetitive movements or if the minor inflammation will not be given enough healing.
There are two types of epicondyle-related elbow disorder: the lateral (tennis elbow) and medial (golfer’s elbow) epicondylitis. Both of these conditions are similar because they are caused by chronic overuse on the joints of elbows. But the difference is the part of epicondyle that is affected.
The “tennis elbow” is acquired with the overuse of arm and forearm which result to elbow pain. It specifically involves the area wherein the muscles and tendons of the arm is attached to the outside (lateral) epicondyle. The name was derived in the famous sports tennis because tennis players are the ones who are prone to this type of injury. However, you don’t have to be a tennis player to get this. People whose jobs demand for repetitive movements of forearms such as baseball players, gardeners, landscapers, and carpenters may acquire this type of injury.
The golfer’s elbow is similar to the prior but the affected area is the inside (medial) epicondyle. Here, people who play golf often are the ones at risk in getting this type of injury as the inflammation is mostly found in the wrist area.
The common symptom of these injuries is the difficulty to hold or pick up objects due to pain such as opening jars, having toothbrush, using tools, etc. Because epicondylitis is caused by the overuse of arm and forearm, the best remedy to reduce the pain is to rest the affected body part. Limit the use of your elbow and do not hold or pick up heavy objects as this will only cause muscle tear. If you are a sports person, do not rush to attend your practice, instead, give your elbow enough rest and time to heal. Protecting the affected area by wrapping it and applying ice will also help. Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may also alleviate the pain, however, seek first for the advice of your doctor.
If the basic treatments are not effective for curing the injury, you may consult your doctor and ask for alternatives. Mostly, physical therapy is being applied. The therapy may help to repair the muscle damage and improve your strength as well as your flexibility.
Just remember that when you feel any symptom pertaining to this kind of disorder, stop using your arm too much. Any activity that will aggravate the injury must be avoided because when there’s a repetitive movement to the stressed muscle, this will progress to severe pain. Epicondylitis can be a minor injury, but will result to chronic injury if not treated properly.
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