Tennis Elbow

Chronic pain often troubles patients, especially the pain of muscles, bones and tendons, which are often lingering. Many patients will seek traditional Chinese medicine treatment or acupuncture treatment after receiving Western medicine treatment. Does acupuncture treatment have a therapeutic effect on tendon pain (tennis elbow )? 

What is tennis elbow?

 

      Tennis elbow is a common pain, mainly manifested by muscle pain in the lateral elbow. Tennis elbow is medically called lateral epicondylitis of the humerus. It is a painful condition caused by overuse of the “extensor” muscles in your arm and forearm.

 

Causes 

 

 

      This disease usually occurs in people who often need to rotate their forearms, beat them repeatedly, or carry heavy objects. The main reason is that the tendon attached to the outer epicondyle of the humerus tends to be excessively stretched when the wrist is straightened and forced to the radial side, which causes excessive stretch of some fibers at the junction of the tendon and the bone, resulting in slight tearing. 

 

      When the patient makes a strong fist or makes the forearm pronation and elbow extension (such as twisting a towel, opening a door lock, and extracting heavy objects), it will cause pain. Patients with elbow pain can do a test by themselves: place the forearm of the hand with elbow pain flat on the table, palm down. The palm of the other hand is pressed on the back of the palm of the affected side, then the forearm does not move, and the palm of the affected side is upturned (back bending) to resist the pressure of the other hand. If you feel pain near the bones on the outside of the affected elbow at this time, you are probably suffering from tennis elbow.

 

Tennis elbow might result from:

• Weight lifting
• Typing
• Raking
• Painting
• Knitting
• Tennis
• Racquetball
• Squash
• Fencing
• Carpentry

 

Who are at this disease risk?

 

      Tennis elbow has a relatively high incidence among tennis players, so it is called tennis elbow. In fact, badminton, table tennis, golf and other sports often cause tennis elbow. In addition, electricians, woodworkers, housewives, and other people who need to perform frequent arm and wrist movements are all prone to this disease.

 

Syndrome of TCM

 

Tennis elbow in TCM is called “elbow labor,” which belongs to the category of arthralgia. The treatment can differ according to the meridian syndrome differentiation. The primary pathogenesis is the stagnation of qi and blood stasis in the large intestine meridian of the hand Yangming and the meridian’s obstruction. The latest research and investigations in the Chinese medicine field show that tennis elbow patients can have the following four different TCM syndrome types:

 

1. Wind, cold and dampness blocking the collaterals
2. Qi stagnation and blood stasis
3. Damp-heat internal accumulation
4. Qi and blood deficiency

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Which patients are not suitable for acupuncture treatment?

　　Acupuncture has a wide range of adaptability. But generally speaking, pregnant women and people with coagulation disorders should use acupuncture with caution.

 

Exercise for tennis elbow

This stretch should be done throughout the day, especially before activity. After recovery, this stretch should be included as part of a warm-up to activities that involve gripping, such as gardening, tennis, and golf.

 

 

Step-by-step directions

 

• Straighten your arm with your palm facing down and bend your wrist so
that your fingers point down.
• Gently pull your hand toward your body until you feel a stretch on the
outside of your forearm.
• Hold the stretch for 15 seconds.
• Repeat 5 times, then perform this stretch on the other arm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

MacPherson H, Thomas K, Walters S, Fitter M.(2001) A prospective survey of adverse events and treatment reactions following 34,000 consultations with professional acupuncturists. Acupuncture in medicine, 19, 2, p.93-101。