Tennis elbow is one of the most common musculo-skeletal disorder faced by human race causing moderate to severe disability for the one who suffers in their day-to-day lives.

Medically, tennis elbow is known as Lateral Epicondylitis (LE) which is nothing but inflammation of the tendon on the outer side (lateral) of the elbow & forearm.

What are the symptoms of Tennis elbow?

• Pain is the foremost symptom in the elbow (lateral/outer side) which shall mostly refer upto the forearm and wrist depending on the intensity of the pain.
• Difficulty in the movement of the elbow, like unable to hold a cup of coffee, turn a door knob, shake hands or to grip an object.
• Stiffness on the extending the arm.
• Swelling and tenderness of the joint either in acute/chronic inflammation.

What are the probable causes of Tennis elbow?

• Repetitive & vigorous movement of the joint, forearm, wrist which is mostly found in athletes, tennis players, bowlers, golfers, squash players &  racquet sports is one of the foremost causative factor for tennis elbow.
• It can also happen to those who use mouse, key-boards, computers extensively, along with plumbers, masons, carpenters, cleaners, painters and even dentists.
• Wrong method of exercises without a professional guidance.
• Long hours of sitting with wrong postures and usage of the joints.
• According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), stagnation of Qi (energy), deficiency of Qi shall also be the reason for tennis elbow.
• Last, but not the least is STRESS, which could also be an indirect cause for Tennis elbow.
• All the above causes leads to inflammation and the presenting symptoms as mentioned above.

How Acupuncture therapy can be of help in managing Tennis Elbow?

We have understood the probable causes for tennis elbow which is nothing but inflammation, stagnation of Qi or deficiency of Qi from the discussion above, the following are the ways in which acupuncture therapy¹ can be effective in the management of tennis elbow

• Reduces the pain by the release of endorphins (natural pain killers) and other neuro-transmitters like opioids.
• Reduces the inflammation by improving the local circulation and by the reduction of inflammatory markers.
• The Qi stagnation, which is one of the important factors for the causation shall also be cleared with acupuncture along with boosting the Qi if there is underlying deficiency.

Thereby, tennis elbow can be effectively managed either in acute or chronic condition by acupuncture therapy & moxibustion to return to our normal day-to-day activities without affecting our productivity.

Dr. Gurudatta H K, BNYS, FCRSW - Founder, Anandamaya Wellness Center

Bibliography

1. Tang H, Fan H, Chen J, et al. Acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis: A systematic review. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2015;2015. doi:10.1155/2015/861849