Affecting up to 10 million people in the U.S. every year, tennis elbow isn’t limited to tennis players. It really should be called “exercise elbow,” “gamers’ elbow,” “DIY elbow” and more, as it afflicts people who perform repetitive movements with their arms, such as golfers, musicians, crafters, plumbers, painters, cooks and more. Even those who work on computer keyboards all day are at risk.
Repetitive motion leads to microtrauma in the forearm tendons, which presents as inflammation and pain when you’re using your arm to grip or carry items, open jars, shake hands, turn a doorknob or even just brush your teeth. Without treatment, this debilitating condition can become chronic, lasting several months to years, and recurrences are common.
One traditional treatment for tennis elbow is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which is typically administered by a physical therapist, chiropractor or acupuncturist, although units are also available for people by prescription or over the counter to use at home.
A new, at-home treatment is the E5 Fiix Elbow wearable device from Stā Active. Both TENS and the Fiix Elbow encompass non-invasive, non-drug and less expensive interventions than many other therapeutic protocols for tennis elbow. Here we examine the difference between the Fiix Elbow and TENS.