What are the risk factors for tennis elbow?
The development of tennis elbow often relates to how workers carry out activities such as gripping, twisting, reaching, and moving. These activities can become hazardous when they are done:
Tennis elbow is associated with jobs that require repeated or forceful movements of the fingers, wrist, and forearm. It can develop because of too much force at once or small amounts of force for too long a period.
Specific movements associated with the development of tennis elbow include:
Movements such as rotation, bending, and gripping are particularly hazardous when done while the arms are extended forward and/or sideways away from the body (torso).
Common arm motions that are associated with tennis elbow include using plumbing tools, painting, driving screws, cutting food (especially meat), and repetitive computer mouse use.
- ergonomic in a fixed or awkward position,
- general with constant repetition,
- general with excessive force and
- general without allowing the body to recover from the wear and tear.
- general simultaneous rotation of the forearm and bending of the wrist,
- psychosocial stressful gripping of an object in combination with inward or outward movement of the forearm,
- general jerky, throwing motions, and
- general movements to hit objects with the hand.
What are the signs and symptoms of tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow can cause extreme tenderness on the outer side of the elbow. This tenderness becomes painful, and the pain may radiate outwards when the wrist and elbow are moved in certain ways. These include:
In a medical examination, pain experienced in any three of these movements can indicate the possibility of tennis elbow. Usually, there is no outward sign of redness or swelling. Most often tennis elbow affects only one arm, usually the arm that does most at work.
Tennis elbow can appear in many different ways. Some people get symptoms gradually after doing the same type of work for several years. Others get it suddenly, soon after starting a new type of work. Sometimes, it can develop immediately following a single severe muscle exertion or after an elbow becomes injured. In other cases, tennis elbow occurs for no obvious reason.
- context bending the wrist while straightening the elbow,
- context trying to straighten the wrist against resistance while straightening the elbow,
- context trying to bend the hand back against resistance while straightening the elbow and
- context trying to straighten the fingers against resistance.
What is the treatment for tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow requires medical attention as soon as the symptoms appear. Early attention usually prevents the development of a serious disorder. Treatment options include:
Rest from the activities that cause elbow pain is the most important treatment for tennis elbow. This kind of disorder is often called "self-limiting" because it eventually disappears when people change or avoid activities that cause elbow pain. Watchful waiting rather than active treatment and intervention is fairly effective in pain reduction in some patients. Physicians sometimes give injections to reduce inflammation and speed healing. This treatment usually works, but it cannot be used repeatedly. Elbow bracing and support pads may also be worn for short-term pain relief.
If symptoms have not improved after six to twelve months, surgery might be a solution. Surgical procedures for tennis elbows involve the removal of the damaged tissues.
- context Rest from the activities that cause elbow pain.
- context Correction of incorrect postures and motions.
- context Use ice packs or medication such as oral or topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce inflammation or pain.
- context Exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles.
- context Physiotherapy to assess the healing process, restore the elbow function, and assist the worker in returning to work.
- context Injections (e.g., corticosteroids) to the affected tendon.
- context Shock waves to stimulate healing.
- context Surgery.
How can tennis elbow be prevented?
Finding out what workplace activity was associated with a specific case of tennis elbow is important. Damage to the arms and elbows can become chronic if the activity causing the condition is not changed or discontinued.
Prevention of tennis elbow requires:
Tasks associated with tennis elbow should be identified and modified to reduce the risk of serious injury. Of greatest concern is using fingers, wrists, and forearms in repetitive work involving forceful movement, awkward postures, and lack of rest. Avoid tasks that place excessive force, stress, or strain on the muscles of the forearm.
However, remember that tennis elbow is just one of several different disorders caused by repetitive work. Prevention programs cannot be effective if they address only one part of the arm and neglect the hands, wrists, shoulders, neck or back. Effective prevention must deal with all disorders caused by repetitive work and the inappropriate demands on muscles and tendons.
Proper job design is the best way to avoid repetitive patterns of work. Ways to avoid repetition include:
Other aspects of prevention include:
For prevention of tennis elbow, having workstations arranged properly is important so that workers do not have to reach long distances constantly.
The choice of tools and placement of equipment can also reduce reaching distances and limit the weight held or handled while reaching.
Appropriate work practices also include:
- requirement general awareness of the disorder and how it can relate to activities at work and
- elimination prompt action to deal with the risk factors and eliminate them before the disorder develops.
- requirement Use of machines to mechanize repetitive work.
- requirement Job rotation enables workers to use different sets of muscles in their jobs.
- requirement Job enlargement to increase the variety of tasks that make up a job.
- requirement Job enrichment to provide more control and improved quality of working conditions.
- requirement Teamwork to increase the variety of muscular work.
- requirement Design of the workplace to fit the worker.
- requirement Selection and design of tools and equipment to decrease the force needed for the job.
- administrative Development and implementation of appropriate work practices combined with suitable education and training.
- requirement Working without bending the wrist.
- requirement Using smooth movements rather than jerky ones.
- administrative Using work/rest schedules that allow workers time to change their position, and rest working body parts.