A wide variety of treatment options exist for tennis elbow, including at-home methods and those administered by healthcare professionals. Each has various benefits, and individuals may respond differently to various treatments.
Tennis elbow pain is caused repetitive arm motion, which eventually causes tears, irritation and inflammation in the forearm tendons. Pain initially can be mild or intermittent, but gradually progresses to more severe and chronic. Without treatment, pain is unlikely to go away.
Tendons have reduced blood supply and poor circulation, so they heal very slowly. Recovery from this nagging injury is facilitated by increasing blood flow to the affected area, which brings additional oxygen and healing properties to the tendons to help repair and form new collagen fibers. Some of the most common at-home regimens are using ice, heat and massage. Let’s examine how each of these work in helping to heal the tendons.