High Intensity Laser Therapy to Treat Tennis Elbow

5 min readSep 1, 2020

Does your elbow feel achy, burning, tender and sore on the outside? If you’ve answered yes, then it’s most likely you’re suffering from a condition called ‘tennis elbow.’ The condition is so painful that it may render your arm useless. If not taken steps to treat the condition, tennis elbow may take up to a year to heal naturally.

Available High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) may completely heal your tennis elbow in just five to 7 days with each session lasting 10 minutes.

What is a tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is an inflammation of the tendons (tendinitis) on the outside of the elbow, where they join the forearm muscles.

It is so named, because playing tennis or other sports that involve racquet may cause this. However, you may get it even if you’ve never visited a tennis court. Instead, any activity that involves repetitive gripping, especially when you use your thumb and first two fingers, may cause you to experience this condition.

Who’s at risk of getting tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow is a common condition that normally affects men and women equally. Among them, only 5% are tennis players. The risk factors are:

Age. While this condition affects people of all ages, it is commonly seen in adults between the ages of 30 and 50.

Occupation. People whose work involves repetitive motions of the arm and wrist are more likely to develop tennis elbow.

Some sports. Playing racquet sports heightens your risk of tennis elbow, especially if your stroke techniques are poor.

You may get lateral epicondylitis if you play the following sports:

· Tennis

· Squash

· Racquetball

· Fencing

· Weight lifting

You may get tennis elbow while doing the following tasks:

· Using a screwdriver

· Using a power tool

· Carpentry

· Wringing wet clothes

· Raking

· Picking up bricks

· Shoveling snow

· Carrying buckets

· Painting

· Typing

· Using the computer mouse continuously

· Knitting

What causes tennis elbow?

The repetitive actions put so much strain on your extensor tendon that it starts to fray like a rope. Your elbow pain at this point kicks into high gear. If you continue these activities it can severely affect your recovery and healing time.

While it may sound as something minor, tennis elbow is no laughing stock. The longer you wait to get treatment, the longer it’ll take you to recover from lateral epicondylitis.

What are the signs and symptoms of tennis elbow?

You may feel pain mainly on the outside of your elbow where your forearm muscle tendons join a bony bump. Gradually this pain may spread to your forearm and wrist. You may experience the following symptoms:

· Your elbow feels stiff in the morning accompanied with persistent aching

· Elbow feels tender on the outside

· Your forearm muscles are sore

· Pain gets worse when you hold anything

You may find it difficult to:

· Turn a doorknob

· Grip an object

· Shake hands

· Hold a coffee mug

When should you see a doctor?

Although a tennis elbow doesn’t normally lead to severe problems, you may develop loss of function in your forearm and elbow if the condition is left untreated.

Talk to your doctor immediately, if you experience the following conditions:

· Your daily activity is limited due to pain

· Pain won’t go away despite taking over-the-counter pain relievers, resting or using an ice pack

· Any weakness in your hand indicates another type of injury in your elbow or wrist

How Do Doctors Diagnose Tennis Elbow?

A healthcare professional may use any or all of the following methods to diagnose tennis elbow:

· Medical history. Your doctor may ask you about your occupation, activity, medications, recent recreational activities, and other medical problems.

· Physical checkup. The doctor may feel your elbow or other joints. He may also examine your muscles, nerves, skin and bones.

· X-ray. Your doctor may take X-ray images if the symptoms indicate an additional joint or elbow problem.

· Nerve studies. If the symptoms continue even after treatment, nerve studies may be required to investigate entrapment of the radial nerve located in the elbow.

· CT, MRI. In some situations, CT scan, MRI or blood tests may be used to pinpoint the exact cause of your pain.

Can you prevent tennis elbow?

For tennis players

Racquet size: Change the size of your racquet. Use a racquet that is medium in size. Stay away from oversized racquets because they can put too much strain on your arm and put you in a higher risk of getting injured.

Adjust string tension: If your string tension is very high, it can increase the torque and vibration your arm experiences; this increases the risk of injury.

Change grip size: Choose a handle with a grip that is easy to use. A handgrip that is too large or too small reduces your control of the racquet and thereby increases risk of injury.

When hitting a backhand, do not extend the wrist.

Consult tennis pros to enhance your playing style and share your symptoms and difficulties.

Overall

While working around the house, try not to use repetitive motion. Take a break as soon as you feel pain or soreness.

Even after your pain is gone, carry on with exercises for strength and flexibility.

What home remedies are there for tennis elbow?

· Applying ice on the affected area is a common home remedy. You may use ice on the painful area for twenty minutes, twice each day. This will decrease inflammation and relieve pain. TIP: Freeze water in a paper cup. As the ice melts, tear away the top rim and use it. Never use ice directly on the skin, instead wrap it in a towel.

· Rest the painful area to stop further injury and reduce pain.

· Take over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), or naproxen (Aleve).

What are the treatments for tennis elbow?

The quickest and easiest method for treating tennis elbow is High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT)

What is HIGH-INTENSITY LASER THERAPY and how does it work?

High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT), also known as ‘Hot Laser Therapy,’ is a safe and effective way to treat tennis elbow.

The treatment for one tennis elbow takes about 10 mins. Patients come twice per week, and recovery can be expected in 5 -7 treatments

Study: Efficacy of High-Intensity Laser Therapy on lateral epicondylitis

Research published in the journal Edizioni Minerva Medica studied the efficacy of HILT on 42 adults suffering from lateral epicondylitis. All patients had been suffering from the condition no less than one month and no more than 3 months. The researchers questioned the participants about their work and sports activity.

The research team used sonography to check for local calcification. They also performed 7 clinical tests to assess pain and functional lesions. These tests were done in 5 follow-ups — the first one before treatment and the last one 6 months later.

The results showed significant pain reduction in 14 days after treatment. High-Intensity Laser Therapy was found to promote a higher and more lasting soothing effect, compared to other laser therapy. Side effects were few and lasted only a short time.