Tennis elbow, AKA lateral epicondylitis, is a painful condition in which the tendons of the outside part of the elbow are inflamed. Though actual playing of tennis is a common cause, tennis elbow can be caused by any repeated or strenuous activity, especially those involving lots of holding or gripping. Folks with tennis elbow will usually notice pain around the bony knob on the outside of the elbow as well as down their forearm and sometimes into the upper arm. Usually the pain will get worse when picking something up or gripping something, like when shaking hands.

Thankfully tennis elbow isn’t particularly difficult to treat. First off, someone who has tennis elbow should stop using it as much as possible. If doing something causes it to hurt, that means it is stressing the tendons more, and making healing more difficult. Icing the area a few times per day can help relieve pain and swelling, and for some a sling can be a good reminder not to use the affected arm.

Acupuncture can help to relieve the pain and swelling seen with tennis elbow, and by bringing more blood to the affected area help to speed along the natural healing process. In most cases we will select points in the muscles around the painful area, as well as extra points on the hand along the meridians that flow through the area, and some near the opposite knee. Typically we will see someone twice per week for a week or two until things are feeling better, then they just come in as needed if the pain returns. For more severe cases, or cases where an athlete has to keep playing through the pain, we will recommend more aggressive treatment, up to 4-5 times per week while encouraging them to rest as much as possible.

If tennis elbow is bothering you, come see us at our Fort Myers acupuncture clinic ASAP so we can get you back to feeling your best. If you’d like to schedule an appointment online, click here, otherwise give us a call!