Peter G. Hanson M.D.

“Tennis elbow” does not always come from tennis.  Just like “athlete’s foot” is not restricted to athlete’s.  However, if you have pain on the outer aspect of your dominant elbow, and you DO play tennis, let’s review some ways to fix it.

First of all, the inflammation usually extends from the bony prominence on the outer side of the elbow down into the extensor muscles of the forearm.  Even simple movements like cocking the wrist can produce sharp pains.  Certainly rest and ice can be useful right after an injury, but if the problem becomes chronic, or if there is an important tennis game coming up, acupuncture can provide an outstanding cure. 

First, trigger points are identified, and fine painless needles are inserted deeply into each spot.  Usually a couple are inserted around the “knob” or lateral epicondyle on the outer side of the elbow.  Then a mild computerized stimulation is given to each pair of needles.  Normally only a few needles are used for this treatment.  Each is painless once inserted, and only a very mild “pinch” sensation is noted when they are inserted. 

Usually two treatments are done per week, and tennis can usually be restarted soon.  Most patients respond in less than three treatments, and are cured with less than ten total treatments.

TIPS: Consult with your tennis pro in case you are guilty of any of these causes:

1. Gorilla Grip (white-knuckles throughout the whole game).   Your pro can review better use of your other hand to hold the racket face while your grip relaxes between strokes.

2. Lazy Feet: If you are slow to get into position, hitting backhand shots late and behind you will GUARANTEE a tennis elbow.  If you are faster to the ball, you can strike it a bit earlier, ahead of your feet, and save yourself the pain.

3.  String Tension:  If your strings are old, or if they are too tight, or if they are from a racket built for a much stronger player than you are, then you can give yourself tennis elbow.  Also make sure you have the proper dampening rubber piece in the strings, either the plug or the interwoven rubber piece.

4. The Racket:  Make sure the handle is the proper size, and the frame is matched to your speed of stroke.  Often people want the exact equipment that power players use on tour, but they may have a very different speed of striking the ball; the wrong equipment can easily create a negative reaction on your elbow.  If your racket is old, make sure it is frequently restrung (don’t wait til the strings break!).  If you are buying a new one, first try out some demos and ask a pro for a recommendation based on your game.

5. The Rehab: nothing prepares you for tennis like the game itself. But if you are sore, don’t start back to a full swing.  But you don’t need to stay away from the court until you are fully recovered.  Try mini-tennis like the Davis Cup teams do for warm-ups: use the two sevice boxes on each side of the net.  Each person starts at the “T”, and each stroke is just a gentle “meeting” of the ball.  No full swings.  Great practice for angle shots, drop shots, deceptions etc.  Still keeps the brain in the game, without hurting your elbow.  Once you have done this for a few sessions, try stepping back towards the base line, and see if your arm is ready for a fuller swing.

For more information about treating tennis elbow with acupuncture, contact www.peterhansonmd.com.

When children are injured playing soccer, hockey, football or even just jogging, there are extra concerns that don’t apply to adults.  First, the bones are still growing, so we tend to take extra care to X-ray or MRI an inury if we suspect bony damage.  Secondly, kids are more vulnerable to the side effects of drugs that we commonly give adults for the same injuries.  For example, cortisone shots are often given into adult knees when injured, although only three times in a year due to potential damaging side effects which include permanent damage to the cartiledge.  In a six year-old with the same knee injury, doctors are even more cautious about reaching for cortisone shots.  Even advil, and other NSAID’s are hard for a child to tolerate, especially if pains continue for several weeks.  Naturally, surgery is also more complicated for children, and certainly not something one should plunge into except when nothing else is working.

However, Medical Acupuncture can be a very powerful option for children.  Because the treatment uses sterile needles, and because they are placed by an MD into the correct tissue level, sports injuries respond very quickly in kids.  For those who dislike even the idea of needles, there are new cold-laser treatments that will work painlessly when applied to the appropriate acupuncture points on the skin. 

Sports injuries often require a team approach in treatment; an assessment by a radiologist, an orthopedic surgeon, a physical therapist, a personal trainer, massage therapist, or even a chiropractor can all have their place in managing kid’s sports injuries.  But so too can Acupuncture, because of its anatomic placement of needles, and its electro-stimulation deep into the injured areas.  Because there are no side effects, the acupuncture is often the key to speeding up the recovery through some of the other modalities mentioned here.  For more information, contact Dr. Peter Hanson at 303-733-2521, or look for us at www.peterhansonmd.com.