What is it?
To better understand what’s going on, here’s a little bit of elbow anatomy. The muscles of the forearm allow you, among other things, to move your fingers and wrist to grip objects; a function that is important to accomplish activities of daily living as well as participate in most sports. The muscles that attach to the outside of the elbow are the wrist and finger extensors, while those that attach to the inside are flexors. The insertion of these muscles at the elbow are called epicondyles and an injury to this area is known as an epicondylopathy.
Who could be affected?
- For lateral epicondylopathy (tennis elbow): affects 1-3% of the population and is more prominent in people aged 35-50 years old. This injury is mainly related to work with activities requiring wrist movements in extension, pronation and supination. Widely believed to be an injury pertaining to tennis players, research shows that it is quite uncommon for these athletes and can occur in a larger variety of sports.
- For medial epicondylopathy (golfer’s elbow): is less present (9-20% of all epicondylopathy) and is more common in the same age group as tennis elbow. It is often seen in manual laborers such as plumbers, mechanics, and construction workers. Much like tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow is rarely diagnosed in golfers, and presents in athletes of many different disciplines.
What does it look like?
Injuries found at the elbows are more often mechanical overload injuries than traumatic injuries. An inadequate level of stress and effort imposed on the muscles and tendons could generate this type of problem. For this reason, it can occur when starting a new activity/sport/pastime due to the stress imposed on the body before it has had time to adapt. The repeated and excessive forces create microtears to the tendon that leads to symptoms that commonly include pain, decreased strength, and loss of function during activities of daily living.
How can physiotherapy help?
Being injured does not mean that we must stop all activities, but rather adapt our training temporarily. We are talking about the concept of quantification of mechanical stress. Our bodies need “mechanical stress” to allow optimal rehabilitation. In other words, it is imperative that we stress the tendon for it to heal and adapt adequately, however, the amount of stress required is unique to each individual and to the severity of their injury. For these reasons, it is important to consult a physical therapist for a complete evaluation of your condition which will allow them to identify the cause of the injury, as well as establish the best treatment plan that will help you achieve your objectives. Your physical therapist will also be able to guide you through the progression of exercises and your return to sport post-injury.
If you have any questions related to the management of this type of injury, do not hesitate to consult one of our physiotherapists.
