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B West - Club Capt.
Tennis Elbow ?
Despite its name,"tennis elbow" can affect anyone who does any activity
that has repetitive motions of the wrist or forearm. You could even call
it Golfer's Elbow for that matter as it very well could affect golfers
too.
It is a very painful condition that is described as inflammation and
pain on the outside part of your upper arm near your elbow. In more
severe cases there could also be tendon damage as in torn tendons which
connect your muscle to your bone. Ouch!!
So, now that we know what it is, lets look at some of the symptoms of
tennis elbow or golfer's elbow and some tips on how to get elbow pain
relief.
Some of the more common symptoms of this condition are;
1) pain when you try to lift something eg. A coffee mug,
2) pain coming from the outside of the elbow to the forearm and back of the hand when you try to grasp or twist anything and
3) pain that continues to get worse rather than better.
Your doctor would not typically suggest an x-ray as this would show
everything as normal and not detect the problem. He/she might apply
pressure on the tendon in the area to see if that is where the issue is.
The body can heal itself on this one depending on the severity of the
injury, but there are ways that you can help it along the process. You
want to take this route first and avoid having surgery if possible
right?
Here are some steps that you can take to heal and get rid of the painful symptoms of tennis elbow:
1. Limit Use of the affected arm - some actually put their arm in a
splint for a few weeks in an effort to limit the activity for that arm
to allow the healing process to take place.
2. Heat Therapy - using heat pads applied to the area helps the blood to circulate more in that area which promotes healing.
3. Cold Therapy - you can actually alternate hot and cold therapy as
well as use them in sync with each other. In other words, first apply
the hot, then the cold, then the hot again and so on for maybe a half
hour every day. This boosts the blood circulation in the area.
4. Massage - get a professional masseusse who knows how to do massage
for this type of injury or you may be sorry that you opted for this
therapy.
5. Rest - rest allows the body to get back in balance so avoid strenuous activities
6. Physical Therapy - this can also be very helpful for this condition.
There are particular tennis elbow exercises you will be instructed to
do.
Expect that the healing process will take a few months so stock up on
your patience. Many who get impatient and try resuming certain
activities actually make matters worse to the point where surgery
becomes their only option so be careful with this condition.
Always look for the natural solutions to any condition that affects you
or your loved ones as they are always available and usually have little
to no side effects contrary to prescription drugs. Stay well.
The Basic Rules of Tennis
Thinking of starting to play tennis? Tennis is a great sport that
requires mental preparation and physical agility. The first part of
being able to play the game properly is understanding the rules, listed below are the commonly agreed upon official rules of tennis. These rules are provided courtesy of the International Tennis Federation.
THE COURT - Tennis should be played on a court that is built to certain
specifications. The court should be 78 feet long. For a singles match,
the court should be 27 feet in width, and for doubles matches, the
court's width should be 36 feet. The net should be composed of a net
with a cord of metal cable supporting it at a height of 3 and a half
feet. Service lines should be placed 21 feet from each side of the net,
designating the area in which serving should be performed.
THE RACKET - The rackets used in tennis should only have one pair of
crisscrossing strings. Vibration dampening devices are allowed on the
rackets, but they can only be placed outside of the strings. No devices
that incorporate batteries to help your play are allowed.
THE SCORING - Tennis is a unique game in that it has special names given
to the various points awarded. When calling out the score, the person
serving the ball should always say their score first. A score of zero is
called out by saying ‘Love', and from there, the points go to 15, 30,
40, and game. If both players get a score of 40, the game must become a
tie-breaker, and a 40-40 score is announced by saying ‘Deuce'. In a
‘Deuce' situation, if a player gets a point, they are said to have
‘Advantage'. If a player with an ‘Advantage' gets another point, the
game is over. If a player gets a point while the other has ‘Advantage',
the score is reset to ‘Deuce'. When a game is won, another game is begun
until someone gets the best of 7 games. One catch is that they must win
by two. If, at the end of 7 games, a player is up 4 to 3, another match
must be held as winning by two is necessary. If a player takes the best
of 7 games, winning by 2, they are said to have won the set.
Games usually consist of 3 or 5 sets.
